Method and system for reserving future purchases of goods and services

ABSTRACT

A method and system for reserving future purchases of goods or services or events. Group organizers buy a set of electronic options and post to their social network a notice of availability of the purchased set of electronic options for access to the underlying good or service or event. The group organizers invite their friends to join them to purchase the good or service or attend the event. The invited friends are allowed to exercise one or more individual options from the purchased set of electronic options to purchase the actual good or service or attend the event. This frees the group organizers from the burden of having to pay money for the good or service or event, collect money from invited friends and distribute the goods or items associated with the services or events yet promotes coordinated group activities.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-In-Part (CIP) of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/737,164, filed Jan. 9, 2013, that is a CIP ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/549,751, filed Jul. 16, 2012, whichis a Continuation of application Ser. No. 13/251,826, filed on Oct. 3,2011, that issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,229,841 on Jul. 24, 2012, which isa Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/970,165, filed on Dec.16, 2010, that issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,032,447 on Oct. 3, 2011, whichis a Continuation of U.S. patent Ser. No. 11/805,564, filed May 23,2007, that issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,865,424, on Jan. 4, 2011, which isa Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/566,671 filed on May 8,2000, that issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,313,539, on Dec. 25, 2007, thisapplication is ALSO a CIP of Ser. No. 13/158,528 filed on Jun. 13, 2011,that is CIP of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/005,129, filed on Dec. 21,2007, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,962,375, on Jun. 13, 2011, whichis a CIP of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/566,671 filed on May 8, 2000,that issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,313,539, on the Dec. 25, 2007, thecontents of all which are incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to providing goods or services over a computernetwork. More specifically, this invention relates to providingelectronic options for goods or services via a computer network such asthe Internet or an intranet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The Internet has provided consumers a medium for shopping that isavailable twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days ayear. The Internet has also provided suppliers that ability to offergoods or services and receive orders from consumer in an automated, andpotentially more cost-effective way.

There are many occasions for which a consumer may be interested in goodsor services but not be able or willing to purchase the goods or servicesat the present time. For example, a supplier may be offering a newelectronic component that may interest a consumer. The consumer may notpresently have the money to purchase the new electronic component.However, the consumer may want to lock in a current favorable price orguaranty the availability of the electronic component. The consumer mayalso want to “lock-in” a desired price while he/she does comparisonshopping on the electronic component at other locations.

As is known in the art, an option can be used to reserve a proprietaryinterest in an item at a future time. An option is typically a contractconveying a right to buy or sell a designated item at a specified timeduring a stipulated period. There are many examples of using options forfinancial instruments, such as stocks, bonds and other items known inthe art. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,783, entitled “InteractiveInternet Analysis Method,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,641, entitled “Methodapparatus and system for lottery gaming,” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,744,entitled “Method and apparatus that process financial data relating towealth accumulations plans” U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,286, entitled “Apparatusand process for executing an expirationless option transaction,” U.S.Pat. No. 5,671,363, entitled “Private stock option account control andexercise system,” and others.

There are also examples of making conditional purchases known in theart. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,308, entitled “System andmethod for motivating submission of conditional purchase offers,” U.S.Pat. No. 6,012,045, entitled “Computer-based electronic bid auction andsale system,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,620, entitled “Method and apparatusfor the sale of airline-specified flight tickets,” U.S. Pat. No.5,297,031, entitled “Method and apparatus for order management by marketbrokers” and others.

However, there are several problems associated with using options knownin the art to reserve a proprietary interest in a product at a futuretime. One problem is that unlike securities products (e.g., stocks,bonds, etc.) which are limited in number, there are far too many typesof diverse products available on the Internet to logistically andeffectively create one set of mutually agreeable contract terms foroptions to be used for such products.

Another problem is that options typically are created to protect ahigh-value, high-volume, high-risk products against price volatility.Price volatility is generally not large enough for most consumer orbusiness products to use options. Without large price volatility, thereis typically no incentive for a supplier to supply options for lowvolume, low margin, or low risk products.

Another problem is that options typically have uniform terms set by acentral governing agency (e.g., the Security Exchange Commission). Suchuniform terms are typically not suitable for an individual supplier of aproduct. A supplier may desire to provide his/her own option terms forspecific products to help manage his/her inventory, risk or revenue.

Another problem is that the Internet and other computer networks havegeneric, everyday, consumer or business products available to consumersworldwide. However, options have typically not been available on suchproducts.

Another problem is that suppliers may want to sell options on productsthat are not fully developed or don't even exist yet. Presently, optionsystems do not allow an option to be purchased for a product that doesnot exist or may never exist.

Another problem is that the Internet and other computer networks haveprovided the ability for suppliers to use new e-commerce business modelsto supply products. Options typically have not been used to support newe-commerce business models.

Another problem is that options typically have been used only for goodsand not for services. A consumer may desire to purchase an option for atype of service (e.g., accounting services, a musical performer'sservices, an actor's services, etc.).

Thus, it is desirable to provide a method for using options for goods orservices that is available on a computer network, such as the Internet.The method should make it easy and convenient for a purchaser to buy anoption on goods or services to reserve a right to purchase desired goodsor services with option terms set by a supplier of the goods orservices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention, someof the problems associated with using options for goods or services areovercome. A method and system for reserving future purchases of goods orservices or events is presented.

Group organizers buy a set of electronic options and post to theirsocial network a notice of availability of the purchased set ofelectronic options for access to the underlying good or service orevent. The group organizers invite their friends to join them topurchase the good or service or attend the event. The invited friendsare allowed to exercise one or more individual options from thepurchased set of electronic options to actually purchase the good orservice or attend the event. This frees the group organizers from theburden of having to pay money for the good or service or event, collectmoney from invited friends and distribute the goods or items associatedwith the services or events yet promotes coordinated group activities.

The foregoing and other features and advantages of a preferredembodiment of the present invention will be more readily apparent fromthe following detailed description. The detail description proceeds withreferences to accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described withreference to the following drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary electronic optionsystem;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for providing electronicoptions for goods and services from a server network device;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for requesting electronicoptions for goods and services from a client network device;

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are block diagrams of a graphical user interface(GUI) visually illustrating the methods of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary electronic optionconfirmation information for the electronic option of FIG. 4C;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for using electronicoptions by desired supplier;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for using electronicoptions by other suppliers;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are a flow chart illustrating method for providingelectronic options for goods or services or events or entry to placeswith a priority system;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating display of an exemplary QR barcode;

FIG. 10 a block diagram illustrating a reading of a QR bar code at anevent or place;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating method for providing electronicoptions for goods or services or events or entry to places with apriority system;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are a flow diagram illustrating a method for providingelectronic options for goods or services or events;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a social networking post with agraphical button with a real-time counter associated with a purchasedset of electronic options for a good or service or event; and

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating additional details of thegraphical button of FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary Electronic Option System

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary electronic optionsystem 10 for one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Theelectronic option system 10 includes one or more client network devices12, 14, 16 (only three of which are illustrated), each with one or moreprocessors. The client network devices 12, 14, 16 include, but arelimited to, personal computers, laptop computers, wireless telephones,smart phones, personal information devices, personal digital assistants(PDA), hand-held devices, tablet devices, network appliances, and othertypes of electronic devices and network devices. However, the presentinvention is not limited to these devices and more, fewer or equivalenttypes of client electronic devices can also be used.

The client network devices 12, 14, 16 are in communications with acommunications network 18 (e.g., the Internet, intranet, etc.). Thecommunication includes, but is not limited to, communications over awire with a wired interface and protocols connected to the clientnetwork devices 12, 14, 16, wireless communications with a wirelessinterface and protocols, and/or other types of communications (e.g., acombination of wired and wireless communications, etc.)

The client network devices, 12, 14, 16, include one or more applications25. The applications 25 include smart software applications 25 includingsmart phone and/or electronic tablet applications 25. The applications25 include a graphical user interface (GUI). A GUI is typically used todisplay information. Applications 25 include electronic optioninformation displayed on a GUI (e.g., see FIGS. 4 and 5, etc.)

The one or more client network devices 12, 14, 16 include smart phones(e.g., 16, etc.) such as the iPhone by Apple, Inc., Blackberry Storm andother Blackberry models by Research In Motion, Inc. (RIM), Droid byMotorola, Inc. HTC, Inc. other types of smart phones, other types ofmobile and non-mobile phones, etc. However, the present invention is notlimited to such devices, and more, fewer or other devices can be used topractice the invention.

A “smart phone” is a mobile phone that offers more advanced computingability and connectivity than a contemporary basic feature phone. Smartphones and feature phones may be thought of as handheld computersintegrated with a mobile telephone, but while most feature phones areable to run applications based on platforms such as Java ME, a smartphone usually allows the user to install and run more advancedapplications. Smart phones and/or tablet computers run completeoperating system software providing a platform for applicationdevelopers.

The operating systems include the iPhone OS, Android, Windows, etc.iPhone OS is a proprietary operating system for the Apple iPhone.Android is an open source operating system platform backed by Google,along with major hardware and software developers (such as Intel, HTC,ARM, Motorola and Samsung, etc.), that form the Open Handset Alliance.

The one or more client network devices 12, 14, 16 also include tabletcomputers (e.g., 12, etc.) such as the iPad, by Apple, Inc., the HPTablet, by Hewlett Packard, Inc., the Playbook, by RIM, Inc., theTablet, by Sony, Inc. However, the present invention is not limited tosuch devices, and more, fewer or other devices can be used to practicethe invention.

The one or more client network devices 12, 14, 16 may communicate withother network devices with near field communications (NFC) and/ormachine-to-machine (M2M) communications.

“Near field communication (NFC)” is a set of standards for smartphonesand similar devices to establish radio communication with each other bytouching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually nomore than a few centimeters. Present and anticipated applicationsinclude contactless transactions, data exchange, and simplified setup ofmore complex communications such as Wi-Fi. Communication is alsopossible between an NFC device and an unpowered NFC chip, called a “tag”including radio frequency identifier (RFID) tags.

NFC standards cover communications protocols and data exchange formats,and are based on existing radio-frequency identification (RFID)standards including ISO/IEC 14443 and FeliCa. These standards includeISO/IEC 1809 and those defined by the NFC Forum, all of which areincorporated by reference.

“Machine to machine (M2M)” refers to technologies that allow bothwireless and wired systems to communicate with other devices of the sameability. M2M uses a device to capture an event (such as option purchase,etc.), which is relayed through a network (wireless, wired cloud, etc.)to an application (software program), that translates the captured eventinto meaningful information. Such communication was originallyaccomplished by having a remote network of machines relay informationback to a central hub for analysis, which would then be rerouted into asystem like a personal computer.

However, modern M2M communication has expanded beyond a one-to-oneconnection and changed into a system of networks that transmits datamany-to-one and many-to-many to plural different types of devices andappliances. The expansion of IP networks across the world has made itfar easier for M2M communication to take place and has lessened theamount of power and time necessary for information to be communicatedbetween machines.

The one or more client network devices 12, 14, 16 may also include asmart phone and/or tablet computer software “application” 25 tointerface with the methods described herein.

Plural server network devices 20, 22, 24, each with one or moreprocessors each including a server application 25′ and each associatedwith one or more associated databases 20′, 22′, 24′, include electronicoptions 27 and/or pricing information for goods and/or services suppliedby plural suppliers.

The plural server network devices 20, 22, 24 also include one or moreinteractive electronic kiosks each with one or more processors and agraphical user interface (GUI) (only one of which is illustrated 29)connected to the computer network 18 with a wired or wirelessconnection. “Interactive electronic kiosks” typically include networkinformation terminals featuring specialized hardware and softwaredesigned within a public or private space that provides access toinformation and applications for communication, commerce, entertainmentand education. A GUI is typically used to display information.

Kiosk 29 includes electronic option information displayed on a GUI(e.g., see FIGS. 4 and 5, etc.) Plural kiosks 29 are placed in publicareas (e.g., restaurants, airports, bus stations, train stations, sportsvenues, entertainment venues, retail stores, etc.) and include softwareand hardware to practice the current invention for electronic options.The same kiosks 29 may also provide for the direct purchase of ticketsof various kinds including goods, reservations for services, tickets forevents, etc. However, the kiosks 29 are not required to provide for thedirect purchase of goods or services or events. The present invention isalso not limited to such interactive electronic kiosks and more, feweror other types of interactive electronic kiosks can be used to practicethe invention.

An operating environment for components of the electronic option system10 for preferred embodiments of the present invention include aprocessing system with at least one high speed Central Processing Unit(“CPU”), other processor and a memory. In accordance with the practicesof persons skilled in the art of computer programming, the presentinvention is described below with reference to acts and symbolicrepresentations of operations or instructions that are performed by theprocessing system, unless indicated otherwise. Such acts and operationsor instructions are referred to as being “computer-executed” or “CPUexecuted” or “processor executed.”

It will be appreciated that acts and symbolically represented operationsor instructions include the manipulation of electrical signals orbiological signals by the CPU. An electrical system or biological systemrepresents data bits which cause a resulting transformation or reductionof the electrical signals or biological signals, and the maintenance ofdata bits at memory locations in a memory system to thereby reconfigureor otherwise alter the CPU's operation, as well as other processing ofsignals. The memory locations where data bits are maintained arephysical locations that have particular electrical, magnetic, optical,or organic properties corresponding to the data bits.

The data bits may also be maintained on a non-transitory computerreadable medium including magnetic disks, optical disks, organic memory,and any other volatile (e.g., Random Access Memory (“RAM”)) ornon-volatile (e.g., Read-Only Memory (“ROM”)) mass storage systemreadable by the CPU. The computer readable medium includes cooperatingor interconnected computer readable medium, which exist exclusively onthe processing system or be distributed among multiple interconnectedprocessing systems that may be local or remote to the processing system.

Wired and Wireless Interfaces

In one embodiment of the present invention, the wired and wirelessinterfaces include wired and wireless interfaces and correspondingnetworking protocols for wired connections to the computer network 18including, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or a cabletelevision network (CATV) including HDTV that connect the networkdevices 12, 14, 16 via one or more twisted pairs of copper wires,digital subscriber lines (e.g. DSL, ADSL, VDSL, etc.) coaxial cable,fiber optic cable, other connection media or other wired connectioninterfaces. The PSTN is any public switched telephone network providedby AT&T, GTE, Sprint, MCI, SBC, Verizon and others.

The computer network 18 may also include a paging and wireless messagingnetwork, a wireless cellular telephone network, a Packet CellularNetwork (PCN), Global System for Mobile Communications, (GSM), GenericPacket Radio Services (GPRS), network/Personal Communications Servicesnetwork (PCS), a Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), WirelessApplication Protocol (WAP), Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) network,Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/User Datagram Protocol(UDP)/Internet Protocol (IP) network, or other types of computernetworks.

The wireless cellular telephone network includes, but is not limited toCode Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access(TDMA), or other wireless technologies.

As is known in the art, PCS networks include network that cover a rangeof wireless, digital communications technologies and services, includingcordless phones, mobile phones, voice mail, paging, faxing, mobilepersonal digital/data assistants (PDAs), etc. PCS devices are typicallydivided into narrowband and broadband categories.

Narrowband devices, which operates in the 900 MHz band of frequencies,typically provide paging, data messaging, faxing, and one- and two-wayelectronic messaging capabilities. Broadband devices, which operate inthe 1850 MHz to 1990 MHz range typically provide two-way voice, data,and video communications. Other wireless technologies such as GSM, CDMAand TDMA are typically included in the PCS category.

As is known in the art, GSM is another type of digital wirelesstechnology widely used throughout Europe, in Australia, India, Africa,Asia, and the Middle East. GSM is gaining popularity in the UnitedStates. GSM is a wireless platform based on TDMA to digitize data. GSMincludes not only telephony and Short Message Services (SMS) but alsovoice mail, call forwarding, fax, caller ID, Internet access, ande-mail.

As is known in the art, SMS is type of communications service thatenables a user to allow private message communications with anotheruser. GSM typically operates at three frequency ranges: 900 MHz (GSM900) in Europe, Asia and most of the rest of the world; 1800 MHz (GSM1800 or DCS 1800 or DCS) in a few European countries; and 1900 MHz (GSM1900 also called PCS 1900 or PCS) in the United States. GSM alsooperates in a dual-band mode including 900/1800 Mhz and a tri-band modeinclude 900/1800/1900 Mhz.

As is known in the art, GPRS is a standard for wireless communications,which runs at speeds up to 150 kilo-bits-per-second (“kbit/s”). GPRS,which supports a wide range of bandwidths is an efficient use of limitedbandwidth and is particularly suited for sending and receiving smallbursts of data such as e-mail and Web browsing, as well as large volumesof data.

As is known in the art, CDPD is a wireless standard providing two-way,19.2-Kbps or higher packet data transmission over existing cellulartelephone channels. As is known in the art, a Packet Cellular Network(PCN) includes various types of packetized cellular data.

In one embodiment, of the invention, the wireless interfaces includeWPAN wireless personal area network (WPAN) interfaces. As is known inthe art, a WPAN is a personal area network for interconnecting devicescentered around an individual person's devices in which the connectionsare wireless. A WPAN interconnects all the ordinary computing andcommunicating devices that a person has on their desk (e.g. computer,etc.) or carry with them (e.g., PDA, mobile phone, two-way pager, etc.)

Typically, a wireless personal area network uses some technology thatpermits communication only within about 10 meters. One such technologyis “Bluetooth.” Another such technology is “Zigbee.”

A key concept in WPAN technology is known as “plugging in.” In the idealscenario, when any two WPAN-equipped devices come into close proximity(within several meters of each other) or within a few kilometers of acentral server (not illustrated), they can communicate via wirelesscommunications as if connected by a cable. WPAN devices can also lockout other devices selectively, preventing needless interference orunauthorized access to secure information.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the wireless interfacesinclude but are not limited to, an IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g,802.11n, 802.15.4 (ZigBee), 802.16a, 802.16g, “Wireless Fidelity”(WiFi), “Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access” (WiMAX), ETSIHigh Performance Radio Metropolitan Area Network (HIPERMAN) “RF Home,”or other types of wireless interfaces. However, the present invention isnot limited to such wireless interface and other types of wirelessinterfaces can also be used.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the wireless meshnetwork device 14, 16, 18, 22 includes a wireless sensor device thatcomprises an integral or separate Bluetooth and/or infra dataassociation (IrDA) module for wireless Bluetooth or wireless infraredcommunications.

As is known in the art, an 802.11b is a short-range wireless networkstandard. The IEEE 802.11b standard defines wireless interfaces thatprovide up to 11 Mbps wireless data transmission to and from wirelessdevices over short ranges. 802.11a is an extension of the 802.11b andcan deliver speeds up to 54M bps. 802.11g deliver speeds on par with802.11a. However, other 802.11xx interfaces can also be used and thepresent invention is not limited to the 802.11 protocols defined. TheIEEE 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g standards are incorporated herein byreference.

As is known in the art, WiFi is a type of 802.11xx interface, whether802.11b, 802.11a, dual-band, etc. WiFi devices include an RF interfacessuch as 2.4 GHz for 802.11b or 802.11g and 5 GHz for 802.11a. Moreinformation on Wi-Fi can be found at the URL “www.weca.net.”

As is known in the art, 802.15.4 (Zigbee) is low data rate networkstandard used for mesh network devices such as sensors, interactivetoys, smart badges, remote controls, and home automation. The 802.15.4standard provides data rates of 250 kbps, 40 kbps, and 20 kbps., twoaddressing modes; 16-bit short and 64-bit IEEE addressing, support forcritical latency devices, such as joysticks, Carrier Sense MultipleAccess/Collision Avoidance, (CSMA-CA) channel access, automatic networkestablishment by a coordinator, fully handshaked protocol for transferreliability, power management to ensure low power consumption formulti-month to multi-year battery usage and up to 16 channels in the 2.4GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band (Worldwide), 10channels in the 915 MHz (US) and one channel in the 868 MHz band(Europe). The IEEE 802.15.4-2003 standard is incorporated herein byreference. More information on 802.15.4 and ZigBee can be found at theURL “www.ieee802.org” and “www.zigbee.org” respectively.

As is known in the art, WiMAX is an industry trade organization formedby leading communications component and equipment companies to promoteand certify compatibility and interoperability of broadband wirelessaccess equipment that conforms to the IEEE 802.16XX (and ETSI HIPERMAN.HIPERMAN is the European standard for metropolitan area networks (MAN).

The IEEE The 802.16a and 802.16g standards are wireless MAN technologystandard that provides a wireless alternative to cable, DSL and T1/E1for last mile broadband access. It is also used as complimentarytechnology to connect IEEE 802.11XX hot spots to the Internet.

The IEEE 802.16a standard for 2-11 GHz is a wireless MAN technology thatprovides broadband wireless connectivity to fixed, portable and nomadicdevices. It provides up to 50-kilometers of service area range, allowsusers to get broadband connectivity without needing direct line of sightwith the base station, and provides total data rates of up to 280 Mbpsper base station, which is enough bandwidth to simultaneously supporthundreds of businesses with T1/E1-type connectivity and thousands ofhomes with DSL-type connectivity with a single base station. The IEEE802.16g provides up to 100 Mbps.

The IEEE 802.16e standard is an extension to the approved IEEE802.16/16a/16g standard. The purpose of 802.16e is to add limitedmobility to the current standard which is designed for fixed operation.

The ESTI HIPERMAN standard is an interoperable broadband fixed wirelessaccess standard for systems operating at radio frequencies between 2 GHzand 11 GHz.

The IEEE 802.16a, 802.16e and 802.16g standards are incorporated hereinby reference. More information on WiMAX can be found at the URL“www.wimaxforum.org.” WiMAX can be used to provide a WLP.

The ETSI HIPERMAN standards TR 101 031, TR 101 475, TR 101 493-1 throughTR 101 493-3, TR 101 761-1 through TR 101 761-4, TR 101 762, TR 101763-1 through TR 101 763-3 and TR 101 957 are incorporated herein byreference. More information on ETSI standards can be found at the URL“www.etsi.org.” ETSI HIPERMAN can be used to provide a WLP.

As is known in the art, Bluetooth is a short-range radio frequencytechnology aimed at simplifying communications among network devices andbetween network devices. Bluetooth wireless technology supports bothshort-range point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connections. TheBluetooth Specification, GL 11r02, March 2005, prepared by the BluetoothSIG, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference.

In one embodiment, network devices 12, 14, 16, 20, 22, 24 include wiredand wireless interfaces including the NICs include “4G” components. Asis known in the art “4G” refers to the fourth generation of wirelesscommunications standards and speeds of 100 megabits/second togigabits/second or more. It is a successor to 3G and 2G standards. Thenomenclature of the generations generally refers to a change in thefundamental nature of the service. The first was the move from analogue(1G) to digital (2G) transmission. This was followed by multi-mediasupport, spread spectrum transmission and at least 200 kbits/second(3G). The 4G NICs include IP packet-switched NICs, wired and wirelessultra-broadband (i.e., gigabit speed) access NICs, WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) NICs and multi-carriertransmission NICs. However, the present invention is not limited to thisembodiment and 1G, 2G and 3G and/or any combination thereof, with orwith 4G NICs can be used to practice the invention.

As is known in the art, IP is an addressing protocol designed to routetraffic within a network or between networks. For more information on IPsee IETF RFC-791 incorporated herein by reference.

TCP provides a connection-oriented, end-to-end reliable protocoldesigned to fit into a layered hierarchy of protocols that supportmulti-network applications. For more information on TCP see RFC-793,incorporated herein by reference.

UDP provides a connectionless mode of communications with datagrams inan interconnected set of networks. For more information on UDP see ITEFRFC-768 incorporated herein by reference.

Security and Encryption

Devices and interfaces of the present invention include plural securityand/or encryption methods for secure communications via thecommunications network 18. Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) (alsocalled “Wired Equivalent Privacy) is a security protocol for WiLANsdefined in the IEEE 802.11b standard. WEP is cryptographic privacyalgorithm, based on the Rivest Cipher 4 (RC4) encryption engine, used toprovide confidentiality for 802.11b wireless data.

As is known in the art, RC4 is cipher designed by RSA Data Security,Inc. of Bedford, Mass., which can accept encryption keys of arbitrarylength, and is essentially a pseudo random number generator with anoutput of the generator being XORed with a data stream to produceencrypted data.

One problem with WEP is that it is used at the two lowest layers of theOSI model, the physical layer and the data link layer, therefore, itdoes not offer end-to-end security. One another problem with WEP is thatits encryption keys are static rather than dynamic. To update WEPencryption keys, an individual has to manually update a WEP key. WEPalso typically uses 40-bit static keys for encryption and thus provides“weak encryption,” making a WEP device a target of hackers.

The IEEE 802.11 Working Group is working on a security upgrade for the802.11 standard called “802.11i.” This supplemental draft standard isintended to improve WiLAN security. It describes the encryptedtransmission of data between systems 802.11X WiLANs. It also defines newencryption key protocols including the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol(TKIP). The IEEE 802.11i draft standard, version 4, completed Jun. 6,2003, is incorporated herein by reference.

The 802.11i is based on 802.1x port-based authentication for user anddevice authentication. The 802.11i standard includes two maindevelopments: Wireless or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and RobustSecurity Network (RSN).

WPA uses the same RC4 underlying encryption algorithm as WEP. However,WPA uses TKIP to improve security of keys used with WEP. WPA keys arederived and rotated more often than WEP keys and thus provide additionalsecurity. WPA also adds a message-integrity-check function to preventpacket forgeries.

RSN uses dynamic negotiation of authentication and selectable encryptionalgorithms between wireless access points and wireless devices. Theauthentication schemes proposed in the draft standard include ExtensibleAuthentication Protocol (EAP). One proposed encryption algorithm is anAdvanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption algorithm.

Dynamic negotiation of authentication and encryption algorithms lets RSNevolve with the state of the art in security, adding algorithms toaddress new threats and continuing to provide the security necessary toprotect information that WiLANs carry.

The NIST developed a new encryption standard, the Advanced EncryptionStandard (AES) to keep government information secure. AES is intended tobe a stronger, more efficient successor to Triple Data EncryptionStandard (3DES). More information on NIST AES can be found at the URL“www.nist.gov/aes.”

As is known in the art, DES is a popular symmetric-key encryption methoddeveloped in 1975 and standardized by ANSI in 1981 as ANSI X.3.92, thecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference. As is known inthe art, 3DES is the encrypt-decrypt-encrypt (EDE) mode of the DEScipher algorithm. 3DES is defined in the ANSI standard, ANSI X9.52-1998,the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. DES modes ofoperation are used in conjunction with the NIST Federal InformationProcessing Standard (FIPS) for data encryption (FIPS 46-3, October1999), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The NIST approved a FIPS for the AES, FIPS-197. This standard specified“Rijndael” encryption as a FIPS-approved symmetric encryption algorithmthat may be used by U.S. Government organizations (and others) toprotect sensitive information. The NIST FIPS-197 standard (AES FIPS PUB197, November 2001) is incorporated herein by reference.

The NIST approved a FIPS for U.S. Federal Government requirements forinformation technology products for sensitive but unclassified (SBU)communications. The NIST FIPS Security Requirements for CryptographicModules (FIPS PUB 140-2, May 2001) is incorporated herein by reference.

As is known in the art, RSA is a public key encryption system which canbe used both for encrypting messages and making digital signatures. Theletters RSA stand for the names of the inventors: Rivest, Shamir andAdleman. For more information on RSA, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,829, nowexpired, incorporated herein by reference.

As is known in the art, “hashing” is the transformation of a string ofcharacters into a usually shorter fixed-length value or key thatrepresents the original string. Hashing is used to index and retrieveitems in a database because it is faster to find the item using theshorter hashed key than to find it using the original value. It is alsoused in many encryption algorithms.

Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA), is used for computing a secure condensedrepresentation of a data message or a data file. When a message of anylength <2⁶⁴ bits is input, the SHA-1 produces a 160-bit output called a“message digest.” The message digest can then be input to other securitytechniques such as encryption, a Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) andothers which generates or verifies a security mechanism for the message.SHA-512 outputs a 512-bit message digest. The Secure Hash Standard, FIPSPUB 180-1, Apr. 17, 1995, is incorporated herein by reference.

Message Digest-5 (MD-5) takes as input a message of arbitrary length andproduces as output a 128-bit “message digest” of the input. The MD5algorithm is intended for digital signature applications, where a largefile must be “compressed” in a secure manner before being encrypted witha private (secret) key under a public-key cryptosystem such as RSA. TheIETF RFC-1321, entitled “The MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm” isincorporated here by reference.

As is known in the art, providing a way to check the integrity ofinformation transmitted over or stored in an unreliable medium such as awireless network is a prime necessity in the world of open computing andcommunications. Mechanisms that provide such integrity check based on asecret key are called “message authentication codes” (MACS). Typically,message authentication codes are used between two parties that share asecret key in order to validate information transmitted between theseparties.

Keyed Hashing for Message Authentication Codes (HMAC), is a mechanismfor message authentication using cryptographic hash functions. HMAC isused with any iterative cryptographic hash function, e.g., MD5, SHA-1,SHA-512, etc. in combination with a secret shared key. The cryptographicstrength of HMAC depends on the properties of the underlying hashfunction. The IETF RFC-2101, entitled “HMAC: Keyed-Hashing for MessageAuthentication” is incorporated here by reference.

As is known in the art, an Electronic Code Book (ECB) is a mode ofoperation for a “block cipher,” with the characteristic that eachpossible block of plaintext has a defined corresponding cipher textvalue and vice versa. In other words, the same plaintext value willalways result in the same cipher text value. Electronic Code Book isused when a volume of plaintext is separated into several blocks ofdata, each of which is then encrypted independently of other blocks. TheElectronic Code Book has the ability to support a separate encryptionkey for each block type.

As is known in the art, Diffie and Hellman (DH) describe severaldifferent group methods for two parties to agree upon a shared secret insuch a way that the secret will be unavailable to eavesdroppers. Thissecret is then converted into various types of cryptographic keys. Alarge number of the variants of the DH method exist including ANSIX9.42. The IETF RFC-2631, entitled “Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Method”is incorporated here by reference.

However, the present invention is not limited to the security orencryption techniques described and other security or encryptiontechniques can also be used.

As is known in the art, the HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) Secure(HTTPs), is a standard for encrypted communications on the World WideWeb. HTTPs is actually just HTTP over a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Formore information on HTTP, see IETF RFC-2616 incorporated herein byreference.

As is known in the art, the SSL protocol is a protocol layer which maybe placed between a reliable connection-oriented network layer protocol(e.g. TCP/IP) and the application protocol layer (e.g. HTTP). SSLprovides for secure communication between a source and destination byallowing mutual authentication, the use of digital signatures forintegrity, and encryption for privacy.

The SSL protocol is designed to support a range of choices for specificsecurity methods used for cryptography, message digests, and digitalsignatures. The security method are negotiated between the source anddesignation at the start of establishing a protocol session. The SSL 2.0protocol specification, by Kipp E. B. Hickman, 1995 is incorporatedherein by reference.

As is known in the art, Transport Layer Security (TLS) providescommunications privacy over the Internet. The protocol allowsclient/server applications to communicate over a transport layer (e.g.,TCP) in a way that is designed to prevent eavesdropping, tampering, ormessage forgery. For more information on TLS see IETF RFC-2246,incorporated herein by reference.

In one embodiment, the security functionality includes Cisco CompatibleEXtensions (CCX). CCX includes security specifications for makers of802.11xx wireless LAN chips for ensuring compliance with Cisco'sproprietary wireless security LAN protocols. As is known in the art,Cisco Systems, Inc. of San Jose, Calif. is supplier of networkinghardware and software, including router and security products.

Television Services

In one embodiment, the applications 25 provide electronic optionservices from television services over the communications network 18.The television services include digital television services, including,but not limited to, cable television, satellite television,high-definition television, three-dimensional, televisions and othertypes of network devices.

However, the present invention is not limited to such televisionservices and more, fewer and/or other television services can be used topractice the invention.

Internet Television Services

In one embodiment, the applications 25 provide electronic optionservices from Internet television services over the communicationsnetwork 18. The television services include Internet television, Web-TV,and/or Internet Protocol Television (IPtv) and/or other broadcasttelevision services.

“Internet television” allows users to choose a program or the televisionshow they want to watch from an archive of programs or from a channeldirectory. The two forms of viewing Internet television are streamingcontent directly to a media player or simply downloading a program to aviewer's set-top box, game console, computer, or other mesh networkdevice.

“Web-TV” delivers digital content via non-mesh broadband and mobilenetworks. The digital content is streamed to a viewer's set-top box,game console, computer, or other mesh network device.

“Internet Protocol television (IPtv)” is a system through which Internettelevision services are delivered using the architecture and networkingmethods of the Internet Protocol Suite over a packet-switched networkinfrastructure, e.g., the Internet and broadband Internet accessnetworks, instead of being delivered through traditional radio frequencybroadcast, satellite signal, and cable television formats.

However, the present invention is not limited to such InternetTelevision services and more, fewer and/or other Internet Televisionservices can be used to practice the invention.

General Search Engine Services

In one embodiment, the applications 25 provide electronic optionservices from general search engine services. A search engine isdesigned to search for information on a communications network 18 suchas the Internet including World Wide Web servers, HTTP, FTP servers etc.The search results are generally presented in a list of electronicresults. The information may consist of web pages, images, electronicinformation, multimedia information, and other types of files. Somesearch engines also mine data available in databases or opendirectories. Unlike web directories, which are maintained by humaneditors, search engines typically operate algorithmically and/or are amixture of algorithmic and human input.

In one embodiment, the applications 25 provide electronic optionservices from general search engine services. In another embodiment, theapplications 25 provide general search engine services by interactingwith one or more other public search engines (e.g., GOOGLE, BING, YAHOO,etc.) and/or private search engine services.

In another embodiment, the applications 25 provide electronic optionservices from specialized search engine services, such as verticalsearch engine services by interacting with one or more other publicvertical search engines (and/or private search engine services).

However, the present invention is not limited to such general and/orvertical search engine services and more, fewer and/or other generalsearch engine services can be used to practice the invention.

Social Networking Services

In one embodiment, the applications 25 provide electronic optionservices from one more social networking services including to/from oneor more social networking web-sites (e.g., FACEBOOK, U-TUBE, TWITTER,MY-SPACE, MATCH.COM, E-HARMONY, GROUP ON, SOCIAL LIVING, etc.). Thesocial networking web-sites also include, but are not limited to, socialcouponing sites, dating web-sites, blogs, RSS feeds, and other types ofinformation web-sites in which messages can be left or posted for avariety of social activities.

However, the present invention is not limited to the social networkingservices described and other public and private social networkingservices can also be used to practice the invention.

Providing Electronic Options for Goods and Services from a ServerNetwork Device

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a Method 26 for providingelectronic options for goods and services. At Step 28, a server networkdevice provides to a client network device via a communications network,a list of available goods or services including plural electronicoptions with associated option fees for the goods or services. Theplural electronic options include electronic option terms established byone or more suppliers who can supply the goods or services. An optionfee is associated with a reservation price to purchase desired goods orservices at a desired future. At Step 30, electronic option terms for aselected good and/or service and/or event for a desired supplier who cansupply the selected good and/or service and/or event are provided. AtStep 32, a purchase of an electronic option for an option fee for adesired good and/or service and/or event for a desired supplier isaccepted on the server network device. The purchase of the electronicoption is accepted according to electronic option terms established bythe desired supplier. A confirmation for purchase of the electronicoption for the option fee is provided to the client network device.Information about the electronic option is stored in a databaseassociated with the server network device.

A type of electronic option 27 used with Method 26 is governed by theoption terms established by an individual supplier. The option terms mayvary greatly among the individual suppliers and no two suppliers maywant to use the same option terms. Use of variable option terms providessignificant flexibility for use of the electronic options with Method26.

The electronic options 27 are not supplied or governed via a centralgovernment agency and are not supplied or governed via security laws.The electronic option information further includes a plural differentelectronic option terms for the plural different suppliers. Theelectronic option terms for a desired supplier are unique to the desiredsupplier

Method 26 and a communications network 18 such as the Internet allows asupplier to supply options for virtually any good and/or service and/orevent based on his/her own terms. The electronic options 27 may be usedfor low price, low volume, low margin, or low risk products. The goodsmay include virtually any consumer or business products (e.g., toys,electronic devices, etc.). The services may include virtually anyservices (e.g., accounting services, a musical performer's services, anactor's services, etc.).

In one embodiment of the present invention, the list of goods andservices with plural electronic options 27 provided at Step 28 includesa “counter” that includes a number of available options for a desiredgoods or services. In such an embodiment, the counter may count down tozero in real-time as electronic options 27 are purchased.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a supplier may desire todesire to provide an electronic option only on desired products, but notall products. The electronic options 27 can be used to better manageinventory, risk or revenues.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a supplier is a “vendor.” Insuch an embodiment, a vendor allows electronic options 27 to bepurchased for goods or services the vendor creates, manufactures, etc.In another embodiment of the present invention, a supplier is a“broker.” In such an embodiment, a broker obtains desired goods orservices from one or more other vendors, but does not create the desiredgoods or services. In another embodiment of the present invention, asupplier is both a vendor and a broker depending on the goods orservices offered. In such an embodiment, the supplier will act as avendor for a first portion of goods or services provided and also act asa broker for a second portion of goods or services provided. Forexample, a supplier may act as a vendor to sell it's own goods, but mayalso act as a broker for other goods from other suppliers.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the list of pluralelectronic options 27 with associated option fees is provided from onecentral location on a communications network 18. In another embodimentof the present invention, the list of plural electronic options 27 withassociated option fees is provided from multiple distributed locationson the communications network 18.

When an electronic option is purchased, a purchaser is sent periodicreminders about the electronic options 27 until the electronic optionexpires at the desired future time. The periodic reminders can be sentelectronically, such as with electronic mail, (“e-mail”) or sent inother electronic or non-electronic formats (e.g., a post card in regularmail).

A list of purchase prices for the goods or services is typicallyprovided along with the list of electronic options. This allows apurchaser to either directly purchase desired goods or services orpotentially defer a purchase to a desired time in the future bypurchasing an electronic option on desired goods or services.

In another embodiment of the present invention, electronic options 27may be made available other suppliers who supply similar goods and/orservices and/or events. A fee will typically be charged to a supplierwho may request a list of purchasers of electronic options. In such anembodiment, the electronic options 27 may be made available only if thepurchaser gives his/her permission.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the electronic options27 may be made available to other suppliers based on the electronicoption terms set by a supplier. Making the electronic options 27available to other suppliers allows the other suppliers to sendadditional offers for similar goods or services directly to a purchaserof an electronic option. The additional offers may include similar goodsor services or goods or services with additional or enhanced features orfunctionality. The offers may also include sale items that may bepurchased instead of the desired goods or services reserved with theelectronic option.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a purchaser is allowed toexercise the electronic option at any time before the desired futuretime to purchase the desired goods or services at the reservation price.In another embodiment of the present invention, the purchaser is onlyallowed to exercise the option when the desired future time arrives.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a supplier may sellelectronic options 27 on goods or services that are not fully developedor don't even exist yet. Purchasing interest in such electronic options27 could be used to determine the economic feasibility of continuing todevelop such a product or used to determine final pricing and featuresfor a desired good and/or service and/or event. In another embodiment ofthe present invention, a supplier may use electronic options 27 tosupport new e-business models.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an electronic option canbe purchased for an event that may never happen. For example, an optionservice may provide electronic options 27 for World Series tickets forall major league baseball teams before the season starts. Only two teamswill play in the World Series. However, a purchaser is able to purchasean option to buy World Series tickets for any team, even those that teammay not play in the World Series.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the option termsestablished by a supplier may indicate purchasing an electronic optionwith a lower option fee will only guarantee a purchaser an X % (e.g.,50%) chance that the desired goods or services will be available at allat the desired future time. The option terms may also indicate thatpurchasing an electronic option with a higher option fee will guaranteea purchaser a Y % (e.g., 99%) chance that the desired goods or serviceswill be available at the desired future time. In such an embodiment,paying an option fee does not guarantee that desired goods or serviceswill be available for a purchaser.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the electronic optionmay include a volatility factor and a range of reservation prices. Thevolatility factor may cause an actual price paid for desired goods orservices at a desired future time to be greater than the reservationprice reserved by a purchaser. For example, an electronic option with avolatility factor may be made available for goods or services includinga new toy, a new electronic product, tickets for sporting events,concerts, etc. The electronic option may include a volatility factorsince the demand for the goods or services is uncertain, but demand mayeventually exceed supply based on a scenario of conditions.

If an electronic option with a volatility factor is purchased for goodsor services at a reservation price, and the demand for the goods orservices is weak, the purchaser will be able purchase the goods orservices at the reservation price at the future time if the purchaser sodesires. If demand for the goods or services is strong, and thepurchaser may be required to purchase the goods or services at a higherprice than the reservation price if the purchaser still desires toactually purchase the goods or services.

In one embodiment of the present invention, an electronic option fee maybe determined, in part, by electronic option terms input by a purchaser.An individual supplier may also provide different types of electronicoptions 27 to different individual users based on their current orprevious interactions.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the electronic option isa “personalized electronic coupon” dynamically created by a servernetwork device and sent to a client network device based on current orprevious input from a user. In such an embodiment, a purchaser of theelectronic option may also input one or more desired options terms tocreate his/her own personalized electronic coupon. The personalizedelectronic coupon is governed by the electronic options 27 termsdetermined by a desired supplier and/or by the purchaser.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic option is a“personalized reservation.” dynamically created by application 25 on aclient network device 12, 14, 16 and sent to a server network device 20,22, 24 device based on current or previous inputs from a user. In suchan embodiment, a purchaser of the electronic option may also input oneor more desired options terms to create his/her own personalizedelectronic reservation. For example, the user is accompanied by fourother people, a private table is requested and a favorite bottle ofliquor is pre-ordered. The personalized electronic reservation isgoverned by the electronic options 27 terms determined by a desiredsupplier and/or by the purchaser. The personalized reservations allowplural people to be included to receive priority treatment.

For example, a user of a client network device 12, 14, 16 may desire toreceive priority treatment at a hot new night club or restaurant. theelectronic option as a “personalized reservation” can be purchased andused to receive priority treatment to skip any lines at a place (e.g.,hot new night club, restaurant, bar, etc.) and/or event (e.g., concert,art gallery opening, festival, theme park, etc.).

The “personalized reservation” may also include a “personalizedelectronic coupon.” The personalized electronic coupon includes othergoods and/or services offered at a place and/or event. For example, if auser desired to purchase an electronic option as a personalizedreservation at hot new night club, the personalized coupon may include aprivate table in a roped offer area and a bottle of the user's favoritewine and/or liquor.

The personalized reservation may also include other items not offered atthe event or place. However, the present invention is not limited tothese embodiments and other embodiments, and more, fewer or other typesof electronic options 27 can be used to practice the invention.

An electronic option is sold for an option fee that is typically set asa small percentage of the reserved purchase price (e.g., 1% to 25%). Apurchaser is risking a small amount of money to potentially purchasedesired goods or services at a reservation price at a desired futuretime. The reservation price is typically lower than a regular pricecharged for the goods and services.

However, the electronic option does not obligate a purchaser to actuallypurchase the desired goods or services for the reservation price at thedesired future time. A purchaser may choose not to exercise theelectronic option. As a result, the purchaser only loses a small amountof money that was paid to buy the electronic option (i.e., the optionfee). The supplier may make a small amount of money from each electronicoption that was not exercised and is typically able to sell the optionedgoods or services to other purchasers.

In one specific embodiment of the present invention, the option fee maybe determined by one or more of the electronic option factorsillustrated in Table 1. However, the present invention is not limited toan electronic option using the electronic option factors illustrated inTable 1, and equivalent or other types of electronic options 27 factorscan also be used.

TABLE 1 Electronic Option Factor Description S A factor relating to aselected strike price (i.e., a price at which an optioned good and/orservice and/or event may be purchased). The strike price may be zero. DA factor relating to a selected time period an option is valid for(i.e., a number of days) V A factor relating to a standard deviation inan average price volatility of a good and/or service and/or event. L Afactor relating to a list price of the product. BE A factor relating toa distributors break even point of a good and/or service and/or event.LAP A factor relating to a lowest available sales price for the goodand/or service and/or event that can be obtained with comparisonshopping. NR A factor relating to a possible non-availability of thegood and/or service and/or event upon option exercise. DIS A factorrelating to a discounting toward a break even point

In one embodiment of the present invention, determining an option feefor an electronic option is illustrated with Equations 1, 2 and 3 usingthe electronic option factors from Table 1. However, the presentinvention is not limited to calculation of an option fee as isillustrated in Equations 1, 2 and 3 and other or equivalent optionformulas may be used to calculate the option fee. In addition, Equations1, 2 and 3 may be combined into one equation, or further split intoadditional equations, and the present invention is not limited tocalculating an option fee for an electronic option using threeequations.(LAP*(1+V)−S)=A  (1)A−(DIS*(LAP*(1+V)−BE))=SUM  (2)(SUM+(NR*S))*(D/365+1)=ELECTRONIC OPTION FEE  (3)

For example, suppose a user desired to purchase an electronic option fora 60 day time period on a Digital Video Disk (“DVD”) player with a listprice of $200 and a reservation price of $170. Table 2 illustratesexemplary values for electronic option factors from Table 1 used todetermine an exemplary electronic option fee charged at Step 32 by asupplier. Table 3 illustrates the use of the electronic option factorsfrom Table 2 in Equations 1, 2 and 3.

TABLE 2 Electronic Option Factor Description S $170 D 60 V 0.05 L $200BE $160 LAP $180 NR 0.01 DIS 0.5

TABLE 3 $180 * (1 + 0.05) − $170 = $19.00 (1) $19.00 − (0.5 * ($189 −$160)) = $4.50 (2) ($4.50 + (0.01 * $170)) * (60/365 + 1) = $7.22 (3)

As is illustrated in Table 3, a purchaser would pay $7.22 option fee foran electronic option to buy a DVD player within 60 days. The electronicoption gives the purchaser a right to pay a total price of $177.22($170+$7.22) for the DVD player that sells for a list price of $200, ifthe electronic option is exercised. Otherwise, the purchaser risked only$7.22 for 60 days to potentially “reserve” a DVD player for purchase.This example assumes that the lowest possible price a purchaser couldfind the DVD player anywhere else by comparison shopping would be $180(i.e., the LAP price), if the DVD player was available from a supplierwhen the purchaser desired the DVD player. Thus, the purchaser canactually reserve the DVD player, guarantee the DVD player would beavailable for 60 days, and save $2.78 for the lowest available offeredprice for the DVD layer ($180-177.22) with wasting time shopping for alower price.

The option fee is set by a supplier to make the electronic options 27attractive to a purchaser, and help convince a purchaser that it is notnecessary to spend any of his or her own time to try and find a lowerprice for desired goods or services.

In one embodiment of the present invention, all of the option fee ispaid to an electronic option service that provided the electronic optioninformation. In another embodiment of the present invention, a firstportion of the option fee is paid to an electronic option service thatprovided the electronic information. A second portion of the option feeis paid to the desired supplier who can provide the desired good and/orservice and/or event. For example, for an option fee of $7.22, theoption service may collect $0.22 and the desired supplier may collect$7.00. The option service collects a small fee for each electronicoption purchased for providing the electronic option service. Thedesired supplier collects a larger fee for taking the risk topotentially supply the desired good and/or service and/or event. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, all of the option fee ispaid to the desired supplier who can provide the desired good and/orservice and/or event.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an option service may bepaid a small percentage of the option fee as well as a percentage of apurchase price for every good and/or service and/or event that isactually purchased by exercising an electronic option. For example, anoption service may be paid 5% of the option fee as well as 2% of theactual purchase price of the good and/or service and/or event. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, all of the option fee maybe paid to a supplier, while the option service may be paid only apercentage of a purchase price for an exercise electronic option on agood and/or service and/or event.

Selected ones of the one or more pre-determined option fees include apre-determined option fee of zero. In such an embodiment, the“purchaser” providers the vendor with other types of consideration forthe value received in turn for purchasing the electronic option with apurchase fee of zero.

For example, the purchaser may provide an e-mail address, phone, number,social networking identifier, picture, etc. in exchange for apre-determined option fee of zero. Such identifiers are valuable tooption providers and vendors to establish a customer database 20′, 22′,24′ and to send future new and additional offers (e.g., FIG. 6, etc.) todirectly interested purchasers. However, the present invention is notlimited to such an embodiment and more, fewer and other types ofpre-determined option fees can be used to practice the invention.

Other selected ones of the one or more pre-determined option feesinclude a pre-determined option fee of zero. In such an embodiment, thevendor providers the purchaser with consideration for the value receivedin turn for purchasing the electronic option with a purchase fee of zeroin exchange for direct participation in marketing and promotionalactivities. For example, a vendor such as an airline may provide apassenger an electronic option with a purchase fee of zero to try out anight club, bar, or restaurant service (e.g., priority entrance,priority seating, skipping to a front of a line, etc.) in exchange forproviding a mandatory testimonial or completing a mandatory survey, etc.

Yet other selected ones of the one or more electronic options 27 includea final option exercise price that fluctuates prior to exercise. Thefinal option exercise price may fluctuate prior to exercise, or it maygo up, down or stay same or become zero. In such an embodiment, theelectronic option only guarantees availability of a desired airlineservice but not the final option exercise price. The final optionexercise price may also fluctuate and then the electronic optionguarantees to lock in the lowest price during a defined period.

These embodiments are illustrative only. Virtually any type of optionfee or purchase price sharing can be used with the present invention.

Requesting Electronic Options for Goods and Services from a ClientNetwork Device

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a Method 34 for requestingelectronic options for goods and services from a client network device.At Step 36, a list of available goods or services including pluralelectronic options with associated option fees for the goods orservices, is received from a server network device on a client networkdevice via a communications network. The plural electronic optionsinclude electronic option terms established by one or more suppliers whocan supply the goods or services. An option fee is associated with areservation price to purchase desired goods or services at a desiredfuture time. At Step 38, an electronic option associated with a desiredgood and/or service and/or event provided by a desired supplier isselected. At Step 40, electronic option terms established by the desiredsupplier for the desired good and/or service and/or event are receivedon the client network device. At Step 42, the electronic option termsfor the desired good and/or service and/or event are accepted on theclient network device. At Step 44, the electronic option is purchased onthe desired good and/or service and/or event provided by the desiredsupplier based on the accepted electronic option terms established bythe desired supplier for an option fee. A confirmation for purchasingthe electronic option is received from the server network device on theclient network device.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic option termsestablished by the desired supplier for the desired good and/or serviceand/or event received on the client network device include a request fora user to enter personal information (e.g., name, address, phone number,e-mail address, etc.) that is used to associate a user with a desiredelectronic option.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the confirmation includes anindication of the option fee paid for the electronic option, anexpiration date for the electronic option, the reservation price and thedesired supplier. In another embodiment of the present invention, theconfirmation includes the information listed in the previous sentence aswell as other information such as the LAP price, etc.

The interaction between Methods 26 and 34 are illustrated with onespecific exemplary embodiment of the present invention. However, thepresent invention is not limited to this specific exemplary embodimentand other embodiments can also be used with Methods 26 and 34. FIGS. 4A,4B and 4C are block diagrams 46, 54, 62 of a graphical user interface(GUI) visually illustrating the interactions between Methods 26 and 34.

In such a specific embodiment of the present invention, at Step 28 (FIG.2) the server network device 24 provides to a client network device 16via the Internet 18, a list of available goods and electronic optionswith associated option fees. At Step 36 (FIG. 3), the client networkdevice 16 receives the list of available goods and electronic optionswith associated option fees from the server network device 24 via theInternet 18. In this example, FIG. 4A illustrates a GUI with a list 48of DVD players currently being offered by Supplier XYZ. The list 48includes an electronic option with associated option fee for the “FirstClass” DVD player. The DVD player is currently being sold for $200. Anelectronic option can be purchased for 60 days for an option fee of$7.22 to allow the DVD player to be purchased at a reservation price of$170.

At Step 38 (FIG. 3) an electronic option associated with the DVD playerprovided by Supplier XYZ is selected from the client network device 16.In this example, the electronic option is selected by selecting the“OPTION IT” button 50 (FIG. 4A). However, the present invention is notlimited to selecting an electronic option with this method and othermethods can also be used. The DVD player can also be purchased directlyfor $200 by selecting the “BUY IT” button 52 (FIG. 4C).

At Step 30 (FIG. 2) electronic option terms 56 (FIG. 4B) for theselected First Class DVD player from the Supplier XZY are provided fromthe server network device 24 to the client network device 16. At Step 40(FIG. 3), the electronic option terms 56 (FIG. 4B) are received on theclient network device 16. At Step 42 (FIG. 3), the electronic optionterms 60 for the DVD player are accepted on the client network device16. In this example, the electronic option terms are accepted byselecting the “ACCEPT” button 58 (FIG. 4B). However, the presentinvention is not limited to selecting electronic option terms with thismethod and other methods can also be used. A user can also decline toaccept the electronic option terms by selecting the “DECLINE” button 60(FIG. 4B). If a user declines to accept the electronic option termsprovided by the Supplier XYZ, the electronic option can not bepurchased.

At Step 44 (FIG. 3), the electronic option is purchased on the DVDplayer based on the accepted electronic option terms 56 established bySupplier XYZ for an option fee of $7.22. The reservation price for theDVD player is $170. At Step 32 (FIG. 2) the electronic option purchasedfor the DVD played accepted on the server network device 24 according toelectronic option terms established by the Supplier XYZ. The electronicoption information is stored in a database associated with the servernetwork device 24.

A confirmation for purchase of the electronic option for the option feeis provided to the client network device 16 from the server networkdevice 24. A confirmation 64 (FIG. 4C) for purchasing the electronicoption is received from the server network device 24 on the clientnetwork device 16. In this example, the confirmation 64 (FIG. 4C)includes an indication of the supplier (Supplier XYZ), user (JaneSmith), option fee paid ($7.22), reservation price ($170), time period(60 days) and current LAP price ($180). However, the present inventionis not limited to a confirmation with this information, and more, feweror equivalent confirmation information items can also be used.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a user who purchases anelectronic option can access electronic option information from a clientnetwork device via the communications network 18. In such an embodiment,a user would be provided a method to securely obtain electronic optioninformation (e.g., a login and password, etc.). In one embodiment of thepresent invention, a central server network device is used to storeelectronic option information for all suppliers.

In another embodiment of the present invention, electronic optioninformation is stored on one or more server network devices forindividual suppliers who provide the desired goods or services for whichthe electronic option was purchased. In another embodiment of thepresent invention, the electronic option information can be obtainedfrom both a central server network device as well as from the one ormore server network devices for individual suppliers who provide thedesired goods or services for which the electronic option was purchased.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram 66 illustrating exemplary electronic optioninformation 64 for the electronic option of FIG. 4C. In this example,the electronic option information includes an “EXERCISE” button 70 thatallows a user to immediately exercise the electronic option and obtainthe DVD player for a reservation price of $170. Since the electronicoption information is provided electronically (i.e., via acommunications network 18, etc.), when a user selects the EXERCISEbutton 70, the desired good may then be automatically shipped directlythe purchaser without further input from the purchaser.

In one embodiment of the present invention, Method 34 can be used bypurchase managers to proactively reserve goods or services that will beneeded at a future time for a known reservation price. Method 34 notonly provides a method to aid future planning for resources and/orbudgets, but also provides a method to allow non-executive staff toefficiently assist executive staff in a business organization. Forexample, if a manufacturer knows that it typically must purchase fourmachine presses per year because of normal wear and tear, a purchasemanager could purchase four electronic options on the presses in Januaryor each year. Thus, the purchase manager has effectively authorized thepurchase of four presses at the reservation price.

When a press breaks down and needs to be replaced, an electronic optionfor a press could be exercised at the reservation price. Since thepurchase manager has purchased the electronic options 27 for apre-determined reservation price, a low-level assistant could actuallyexercise the electronic option and obtain the press without input fromthe purchase manager.

Use of Electronic Option Information by Desired Suppliers

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a Method 72 for using electronicoptions by a desired supplier. At Step 74, a database accessible from acommunications network is read from a server network device. Thedatabase includes plural entries with electronic option information. AtStep 76, plural new electronic offers are created based on desired goodsor services associated with the electronic option information. At Step78, one or more of the plural new electronic offers are sent to selectedclient network devices for selected purchasers of electronic options.

Method 72 allows a desired supplier who was willing to accept anelectronic option for a desired good and/or service and/or event to tryand sell other items to a purchaser of an electronic option. Forexample, if a purchaser had purchased an electronic option on a DVDplayer from a desired supplier, the desired supplier may send thepurchaser offers to buy DVD disks for the DVD player. Method 72 may alsoallow a desired supplier to alert a purchaser of sale items. Method 72may also allow a desired supplier to coax a purchaser to exercise anelectronic option by sending offers to remind the purchaser to purchasethe desired good and/or service and/or event at the reservation price ora price below the reservation price. Method 72 may help a desiredsupplier better manage inventories of goods or better manage services.

Use of Electronic Option Information by Other Suppliers

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a Method 80 for using electronicoptions by other suppliers. At Step 82, a database accessible from acommunications network 18 including a plurality of entries withelectronic option information is provided. At Step 84, access to thedatabase is provided for a fee to suppliers who desire to use theelectronic option information to offer similar or other goods orservices to users who have purchased electronic options.

Method 80 allows other suppliers to target purchasers of electronicoptions 27 with information about similar goods or services or differenttypes of goods and services offered by a supplier. As was discussedabove the electronic options 27 may be made available to other suppliersonly if the purchaser gives his/her permission. However, the electronicoptions 27 may also be made available to other suppliers based on theoption terms set by a supplier, and agreed to by a purchaser.

The methods and system described herein may be used for to provideoptions for b2b, b2c, c2b, c2c or other types of transactions over theInternet. However, the present invention is not limited to thesetransactions and other types of transactions can also be used.

The methods and systems described herein may offer the followingadvantages for suppliers: (1) a supplier may make additional revenuefrom electronic option fees even if an electronic option is notexercised by a purchaser; (2) a supplier is in complete control of theelectronic option terms; (3) a supplier may be able convert browsersinto purchasers by allowing a browser to risk a small amount of moneyfor the ability to reserve a purchase of a desired good and/or serviceand/or event with an electronic option; and (4) a supplier can usedemographic information collected from a user and associated with anelectronic option to cross-sell additional goods or services.

The methods and system described herein may offer the followingadvantages for purchasers: (1) a purchaser can use an option to lock ina lower price for an item that may be in high demand; (2) a purchasercan use the reservation price from a communications network supplier tocomparison shop at “brick and mortar” suppliers; (3) a purchaser canreserve a purchase of a good and/or service and/or event for a gift foran occasion that is months into the future and take actual delivery justbefore the occasion; and (4) a purchaser can risk a small amount ofmoney to reserve the right to purchase a good and/or service and/orevent in the future, but not be obligated to actually purchase the goodand/or service and/or event.

Prioritized Electronic Option Purchase Rights

FIGS. 8A and 8B are a flow chart illustrating Method 86 for providingelectronic options for goods or services or events or entry to placeswith a priority system. In FIG. 8A at Step 88 plural electronic optionsare displayed on plural applications on plural client network deviceseach with one or more processors from a server network device with oneor more processors via a communications network for preferred orpriority access or entry to events or places or goods or services. Theplural electronic options are provided based on a priority orderingscheme. The plural electronic options are not supplied or governed via acentral government agency and are not supplied or governed via securitylaws. The electronic options include plural different electronic optionterms for plural different suppliers. The electronic option terms for adesired supplier are unique to the desired supplier. At Step 90, servernetwork device receives a payment message via the communications networkfrom a first application on a first client network device that includesan electronic payment for a pre-determined electronic option fee topurchase an electronic option based on the priority ordering scheme. AtStep 92, the purchase of the electronic option is recorded from theserver network device in a database associated with the server networkdevice in a pre-determined priority order for the priority orderingscheme. In FIG. 8B, at Step 94, a request message is received on theserver network device from the first application on the first clientnetwork device via the communications network to exercise the purchasedelectronic option for preferred or priority access or entry to events orplaces or goods or services based on the priority order established forthe priority ordering scheme. At Step 96, a confirmation message is sentfrom the server network device via the communications network to thefirst application on the first client network device indicating thepurchased electronic option is valid and can be exercised can beexercised by the first client network device for preferred or priorityaccess or entry to events or places or goods or services based on thepriority order established for the prioritized group in the priorityordering scheme.

Method 86 is illustrated with one exemplary embodiment. However, thepresent invention is not limited this exemplary embodiment and otherembodiments can be used to practice the invention.

In such an exemplary embodiment at Step 88, plural electronic options 27are displayed on plural applications 25 on plural client network devices12, 14, 16 each with one or more processors from a server network device20, 22, 24 with one or more processors via a communications network forpreferred or priority access or entry to events or places or goods orservices. The plural electronic options 27 are provided based on apriority ordering scheme to provide preferred or priority access orentry to events or places or goods or services. The plural electronicoptions 27 are not supplied or governed via a central government agencyand are not supplied or governed via security laws. The pluralelectronic options 27 include plural different electronic option termsfor plural different suppliers (See FIGS. 2, 3, 6 and 7).

In one embodiment, the pre-determined priority order includes access toa current first spot in a line for preferred or priority access or entryto events or places or goods or services. In such an embodiment, thecurrent first spot is dynamic and variable. For example, a Firstpurchaser of an electronic option arrives at a restaurant with line of20 people. The First purchaser exercises the purchased electronic optionand then is allowed stand at the first spot in the line of 20 people toreceive the next available table in the restaurant. A Second purchaserof an electronic option arrives at a bar with the line of 30 people atthe door. The Second purchaser exercises the purchased electronic optionand is then allowed to bypass the line of 30 people and directly enterthe bar.

In one embodiment, the pre-determined priority order also includespurchased electronic options 27 from one or more differentpre-determined priority time periods (e.g., 10:30 pm, 10:45 pm, etc.)and/or for one or more prioritized groups (e.g., first spot in line fora next table, ability to bypass a line to gain immediate entry, a firstspot in a line for a next available seat at a bar, etc.

In another embodiment, a purchaser of an electronic option can also paya larger pre-determined option fee to obtain a more favorable positionin the pre-determined priority order to allow exercise of the electronicoption. For example, spot number in a line at a night club may requirean electronic option fee of $20.00. The electronic option fees for spotstwo through nine in the line may be $10.00, ten through twenty may be$5.00, etc.

In another embodiment, a purchaser of an electronic option can alsodynamically pay another additional pre-determined option fee to obtain amore favorable position in the pre-determined priority order to allowexercise of the electronic option in a different priority order thanthat initially purchased. For, example a purchaser of an electronicoption may have purchased access to “spots ten to twenty” in a line at anight club for $5.00 Such an electronic option includes a lower purchaseprice for other priority position as was just described. When thepurchaser arrives at the night club, he/she desires to now be in spotnumber one in the line. The purchaser would have to pay anotheradditional pre-determined option fee (e.g., an additional $15.00 ($20.00for electronic option fee for position 1 minus $5.00 electronic optionfee paid for positions 10 to 20, are a higher fee, such as an additional$25.00 for privilege of changing the electronic option dynamically,etc.) to obtain the more favorable position number one at the font ofthe line, etc.

In another embodiment, the priority ordering scheme is based on a totalamount of option fees paid for priority entry and/or access and/or alladditional goods and/or services purchased.

However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments andother priority ordering schemes can also be used to practice theinvention Various other combinations can also be used for thepre-determined priority order. However, the present invention is notlimited to these embodiments and other embodiments can be used topractice the invention.

In one embodiment the purchased electronic option includes a purchasedpersonalized reservation. In such an embodiment, the personalizedreservation includes all fees for preferred or priority access or entryto events or places and all fees for purchases of all goods and/orservices. For example, the electronic option fee includes a priorityaccess fee for personalized reservation for entry for four people into anight club, another fee for a private table and another fee for a bottleof a favorite liquor and another fee for a priority server at theprivate table. Once the electronic option fee is paid, the user of thefirst client network device 12 does not have to pay any additional feesand is provide immediate preferred or priority access or entry to eventsor places and to all pre-purchase goods and/or services.

In another embodiment, the purchased electronic option includes only afee preferred or priority access or entry to events or places. Goodsand/or services available are the event and/or place are purchasedseparately.

In another embodiment, the purchased electronic option also includes apersonalized electronic coupon as was described above.

However, the present invention is not limited to the electronic optionsdescribed and other types of electronic options can be used to practicethe invention.

Returning to FIG. 8 at Step 90, the server network device (e.g., 20,etc.) receives a payment message via the communications network 18 froma first application 25 on a first client network device (e.g., 12, etc.)that includes electronic payment of a pre-determined electronic optionfee to purchase an electronic option 27 based on the priority orderingscheme.

In one embodiment, the electronic payment includes a credit card, debitcard, electronic check, payment account (e.g., PAYPAL, GOOGLEMARKETPLACE, etc.) or electronic funds transfer payment. However, thepresent invention is not limited to the electronic payments describedand other types of electronic payments can be used to practice theinvention

In one embodiment, the pre-determined electronic option fee includesonly preferred or priority access or entry to events or places or goodsor services. In such an embodiment, the electronic option fee onlyincludes preferred or priority access or entry. When the electronicoption is exercised a user of the client network device will have to payadditional fees for additional preferred or priority access and topurchase goods or services at the event or place.

In another embodiment, the pre-determined electronic option fee includesa first portion of electronic option free for preferred or priorityaccess or entry to events or places or goods or services and a secondportion of the electronic option for pre-purchases of tickets forpreferred or priority access or entry to events or places andpre-purchased of goods or services. In such an embodiment, when a userof a client network device pays the electronic option fee, the user doesnot have to pay any additional fees when the electronic option isexercised, unless the user desired to purchase additional types orpreferred or priority access or additional goods or services at theevent or place.

In a specific embodiment, selected ones of the one or morepre-determined option fees include a pre-determined option fee of zero.In such an embodiment, the “purchaser” providers the vendor with othertypes of consideration for the value received in turn for purchasing theelectronic option with a purchase fee of zero.

For example, the purchaser may provide an e-mail address, phone, number,social networking identifier, picture etc. in exchange for apre-determined option fee of zero. Such identifiers are valuable tooption providers and vendors to establish a customer database 20′, 22′,24′ and to send future new and additional offers (e.g., FIG. 6, etc.) todirectly interested purchasers. However, the present invention is notlimited to such an embodiment and more, fewer and other types ofpre-determined option fees can be used to practice the invention.

In another specific embodiment, other selected ones of the one or morepre-determined option fees include a pre-determined option fee of zero.In such an embodiment, the vendor providers the purchaser withconsideration for the value received in turn for purchasing theelectronic option with a purchase fee of zero in exchange for directparticipation in marketing and promotional activities. For example, avendor such may provide an electronic option with a purchase fee of zeroto try out a new night club, bar, or restaurant service (e.g., priorityentrance, priority seating, skipping to a front of a line, etc.) or cometo a place on an less busy night (e.g., Tuesday night, etc. in exchangefor providing a mandatory testimonial or completing a mandatory survey,etc.

However, the present invention is not limited to the electronic optionfees described and other types of electronic option fees can be used topractice the invention

Returning to FIG. 8 at Step 92, the purchase of the electronic option 27is recorded from the server network device 20 in a database 20′associated with the server network device 20 in a pre-determinedpriority order for a prioritized group in the priority ordering scheme.

In FIG. 8B at Step 94, a request message is received on the servernetwork device 20 from the first application 25 on first client networkdevice 12 via the communications network 18 to exercise the purchasedelectronic option 27 for preferred or priority access or entry to eventsor places or goods or services based on the priority order establishedfor the priority ordering scheme.

In one embodiment, the request message includes a bar code, such as aQR-code generated by the first client network device 12.

A “barcode” is an optical machine-readable representation of data, whichshows data about the object to which it attaches. Originally, barcodesrepresented data by varying the widths and spacings of parallel lines,and may be referred to as linear or 1 dimensional (1D). Later theyevolved into rectangles, dots, hexagons and other geometric patterns in2 dimensions (2D). Although 2D systems use a variety of symbols, theyare generally referred to as barcodes as well. Barcodes originally werescanned by special-optical scanners called barcode readers, scanners andinterpretive software are available on devices including desktopprinters and smart phones 14 and tablet computers 12.

Table 4 illustrates exemplary linear barcodes, the standards of all ofwhich are incorporated by reference. However, the present invention isnot limited to the exemplary linear barcodes listed in Table 4, and morefewer and other linear barcodes can also be used to practice theinvention.

TABLE 4 Linear Bar Codes U.P.C. Codabar Code 25 - Non-interleaved 2 of 5Code 25 - Interleaved 2 of 5 Code 39 Code 93 Code 128 Code 128A Code128B Code 128C Code 11 CPC Binary DUN 14 EAN 2 EAN 5 EAN 8, EAN 13Facing Identification Mark GS1-128 (formerly known as UCC/EAN-128),incorrectly referenced as EAN 128 and UCC 128 GS1 DataBar, formerlyReduced Space Symbology (RSS) HIBC (HIBCC Health Industry Bar Code)ITF-14 Latent image barcode Pharmacode Plessey PLANET POSTNETIntelligent Mail barcode MSI PostBar RM4SCC/KIX JAN Telepen

Table 5 illustrates exemplary matrix (2D) barcodes, the standards of allof which are incorporated by reference. However, the present inventionis not limited to the exemplary matrix barcodes listed in Table 5, andmore or fewer and other matrix barcodes can also be used to practice theinvention.

TABLE 15 Matrix Bar Codes 3-DI ArrayTag Aztec Code Small Aztec CodeChromatic Alphabet Codablock Code 1 Code 16K Code 49 ColorCode CompactMatrix Code CP Code CyberCode d-touch DataGlyphs Datamatrix DatastripCode Dot Code A EZcode Grid Matrix Code High Capacity Color BarcodeHueCode INTACTA.CODE InterCode JAGTAG Lorem ipsum MaxiCode mCodeMiniCode MicroPDF417 MMCC Nintendo e-Reader#Dot code Optar PaperDiskPDF417 PDMark QR Code QuickMark Code SmartCode Snowflake Code ShotCodeSPARQCode SuperCod Trillcode UltraCode UnisCode VeriCode, VSCodeWaterCode

In one specific embodiment, the application 25 interacts with a bar codereader application. In another embodiment, the application 25 includesan integral bar code reader application. However, the present inventionis not limited to a bar code reader application and other applicationscan also be used to practice the invention.

In one specific exemplary embodiment, a QR bar code is used. However,the present invention is not limited to QR codes and other types of barcodes can also be used to practice the invention

A “QR Code” is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code),readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The codeconsists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a whitebackground. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data. QRcodes are defined in ISO/IEC 18004:2006 Information technology—Automaticidentification and data capture techniques—QR Code 2005 bar codesymbology specification, 1 Sep. 2006, the contents of which areincorporated by reference.

QR codes are also used to display text, contact information, connect toa wireless network, open a web page in the phone's browser or initiate acommunications event over the communications network 18 (e.g., voicecall, data call, etc.) This act of linking from physical world objectsis known as a “hardlink” or “physical world hyperlinks.”

For example, Google's smart phone Android operating system supports theuse of QR codes by natively including the barcode scanner (e.g., Zxing,etc.) on some models, and the browser supports Uniform ResourceIdentifier (URI) redirection, which allows QR Codes to send metadata toexisting applications on the device. Nokia's Symbian operating system isalso provided with a barcode scanner, which is able to read QR codes,while mbarcode is a QR code reader for the Maemo operating system. Inthe Apple iOS, a QR code reader is not natively included, but hundredsof free applications available with reader and metadata browser URIredirection capability. However, the present invention is not limited tothese network device operating systems and other bar code readers anddevice operating systems can also be used to practice the invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram 98 illustrating display of an exemplary QR barcode 100.

Encoded in the QR bar code 100 is the text “This a QR code verifies theholder purchased and electronic option for priority entry to Edge NightClub” When a QR bar code reader is used to read the QR bar code 100,this text will be returned.

FIG. 10 a block diagram 102 illustrating a reading of a QR bar code 100with a reader 104 at an event or place.

In one embodiment, users with a camera equipped smart phone 16 (ortablet computer 12, or computer 14, etc.) with a the camera component, abar code reader application appropriate for the bar code can create adigital image of the QR Code 100 directly without receiving it from theserver network device 20. In such an embodiment, the server networkdevice 20 would just return a verification code at Step 96 to confirmthe purchased electronic option was valid and can be exercised toconfirm preferred or priority access or entry to events or places orgoods or services based on the priority order established for thepriority ordering scheme.

The camera component can also be used to capture existing QR codes fromprint and electronic advertising and other sources (e.g., from othernetwork devices, etc.) The application 25 on the client network device12, 14, 16 converts the QR code 98 into appropriate QR-code created bythe user that can be used directly at an event, place, etc. to providepriority access and/or entry.

In one embodiment, a user may scan a number of QR bar codes fromnon-electronic information such as magazines, business cards,billboards, other non-electronic advertising, etc. A user may also scana number of QR bar codes from electronic advertising such fromweb-sites, other client network devices 12, 14, 16, from e-mails, textmessages, instant messages, etc. In such an embodiment, the usergenerated QR-codes may be sent at Step 92 from the first application 25on the first client network device 12, for verification by the servernetwork device 20 at Step 94.

Plural QR bar codes may also be sent from one or more server networkdevices 22, 24, in the confirmation message sent at Step 94. Plural QRcodes may also be sent from one or more server network devices 22, 24 tothe first client network device 12 that can be used by the first clientnetwork device 12 in the request to exercise the purchased electronicoption at Step 92.

However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments andthe bar codes and QR codes described and other embodiments and more,fewer and other bar codes and/or QR codes can be used to practice theinvention.

Returning to FIG. 8B at Step 96, a confirmation message is sent from theserver network device 20 via the communications network 18 to the firstapplication 25 on the first client network device 12 indicating thepurchased electronic option 27 is valid and can be exercised by thefirst client network device 12 for preferred or priority access or entryto events or places or goods or services based on the priority orderestablished for the prioritized group in the priority ordering scheme.

In one embodiment, the confirmation message includes a bar code. In onespecific embodiment, the bar code includes a QR-code 100 generated byserver network device 12. The bar code and/or QR-code 100 from theconfirmation message is scanned and/or read by another electronic device104 at a place or event to confirm the exercised electronic option isvalid and preferred or priority access or entry to events or places orgoods or services based on the priority order established for thepriority ordering scheme.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating Method 106 for providing electronicoptions for goods or services or events or entry to places with apriority system. At Step 108, a second client network device selects oneor more of the plural electronic options for preferred or priorityaccess or entry to events or places or goods or services displayed by asecond application on the second client network device. At Step 110, thesecond application on the second network device selects one or moreelectronic option fees for the selected one or more plural electronicoptions for preferred or priority access or entry to events or places orgoods or services. At Step 112, a second payment message is sent fromthe second application on the second network device to the servernetwork device via the communications network including the selected oneor more electronic options and electronic payment for the selected oneor more electronic option fees to purchase the selected one or moreelectronic options. At Step 114, a second request message is sent fromthe second application on the second client network device to the servernetwork device via the communications network to exercise the purchasedselected one or more electronic options. At Step 116, a secondconfirmation message is received on the second application on the secondclient network device from the server network device via thecommunications network indicating the purchased selected one or moreelectronic options are valid and can be exercised by the second clientnetwork device for preferred or priority access or entry to events orplaces or goods or services based on the priority order established forthe priority ordering scheme.

Method 106 is illustrated with one exemplary embodiment. However, thepresent invention is not limited this exemplary embodiment and otherembodiments can be used to practice the invention.

In such an exemplary embodiment at Step 108, a second client networkdevice (e.g., 16) selects one or more of the plural electronic options27 for preferred or priority access or entry to events or places orgoods or services displayed by a second application 25 on the secondclient network device 16.

At Step 110, the second application 25 on the second network device 16selects one or more electronic option fees for the selected one or moreplural electronic options 27 for preferred or priority access or entryto events or places or goods or services.

At Step 112, a second payment message is sent from the secondapplication 25 on the second network device 12 to the server networkdevice 20 via the communications network 19 including the selected oneor more electronic options 27 and electronic payment for the selectedone or more electronic option fees to purchase the selected one or moreelectronic options 27.

At Step 114, a second request message is sent from the secondapplication 25 on the second client network device 16 to the servernetwork device 20 via the communications network 18 to exercise thepurchased selected one or more electronic options 27.

At Step 116, a second confirmation message is received on the secondapplication 25 on the second client network device 16 from the servernetwork device 20 via the communications network 18 indicating thepurchased selected one or more electronic options 27 are valid and canbe exercised by the second client network device 16 for preferred orpriority access or entry to events or places or goods or services basedon the priority order established for the priority ordering scheme.

All of the embodiments, options and alternatives discussed for Method 86also apply to Method 106.

The methods and system plural electronic options are provided based on apriority ordering scheme. Plural electronic options are provided basedon a priority ordering scheme. The plural electronic options are notsupplied or governed via a central government agency and are notsupplied or governed via security laws. The plural electronic optionsinclude plural different electronic option terms for plural differentsuppliers and a priority ordering scheme. The electronic option termsfor a desired supplier are unique to the desired supplier. Theelectronic options include personalized electronic reservations andpersonalized electronic coupons. The purchased electronic option isexercised for preferred or priority access or entry to events or placesor goods or services based on the priority ordering scheme.

Social Networking/Social Ticketing, Including General Product Use ofSocial Options

Electronic options 27 are used with a social invite/accept model, wherethe invitation is the sharing of acquired electronic options for a goodor service or event, and includes third-party invitees exercising theelectronic options 27. Thus, electronic options can be used forvirtually any group event, including trips, restaurant reservations, newor special product offerings, with social coupons, etc.

Social Electronic Options

Groups of friends and other groups often are attend events or socializetogether. For example, a group of friends may desire to attend a musicconcert together, travel together, eat a restaurant together, etc. Aleader of such a group will often organize the group and purchasetickets. However, the group leader often has problem selecting anappropriate date for organizing the event, purchasing tickets andgetting paid for purchased tickets for group member who decide not toattend or cannot attend for some reasons. The electronic options 27 areused as social options.

Electronic social networks cover a broader area of electroniccommunication than what is typically referred to these days as a “socialnetwork” such as FACEBOOK, TWITTER, UTUBE, etc. For the purposes of thisdocument, the term social network includes the FACEBOOK, etc. typesocial networks, and also includes email groups, personal email lists,blogs, IM (instant message list), phone directories, etc. Posting ofpurchased electronic options is available to any subset of these groupsand includes an electronic notification/invitation to any group ofpeople of chosen to participate in an event/activity with the inviter,particularly when the inviter has purchased electronic options 27 toreserve access to the good or service or event for the group that isbeing invited.

User can buy options and post to their social network just to let peopleknow of their plans to go to the event. Users can decide to sell optionsand post to their social network to let people know of the availabilityof the options. This post includes an electronic link to a page for anoptions market (See FIGS. 4 and 5).

FIGS. 12A and 12B are a flow diagram illustrating a Method 118 forproviding electronic options for goods or services or events. In FIG.12A at Step 120, plural electronic options for goods or services orevents are displayed on a plural client applications on a plural clientnetwork devices each with one or more processors from a serverapplication on a server network device with one or more processors via acommunications network. The plural electronic options are not suppliedor governed via a central government agency and are not supplied orgoverned via security laws. The electronic options include pluraldifferent electronic option terms for a plural different suppliers. Theelectronic option terms for a desired supplier are unique to the desiredsupplier. At Step 122, a payment message is received on the serverapplication on the server network device via the communications networkfrom a first client application on a first client network deviceincluding electronic payment of a pre-determined electronic option feeto purchase a set of electronic options for a good or service or event.The set of electronic options are used to invite a group of friends topurchase the good or service or attend the event. At Step 124, theserver application on the server network device receives a list ofelectronic identifiers for a group of client network devices for a groupof friends associated with the purchase of the set of electronicoptions. At Step 126, the purchased of the set of electronic options andthe list of electronic identifiers is recorded with the serverapplication on the server network device in a database associated withthe server network device. In FIG. 12B at Step 128, the serverapplication on the server network device sends plural invitationmessages to the list of electronic identifiers for the group of clientdevices for the group of friends associated with the purchase of the setof electronic options making the group of friends aware of the set ofelectronic options and inviting the group of friends to exercise anindividual electronic option from the set of electronic options topurchase the good or service or attend the event. At Step 130, one ormore exercise messages are received on the server application from theserver network device from one or more client applications on the clientnetwork devices associated with the list of electronic identifiers viathe communications network to exercise one or more individual electronicoptions from the set of purchased electronic option to purchase the goodor service or attend the event. At Step 132, one or more confirmationmessages are sent from the server application on the server networkdevice via the communications network to the one or more clientapplications on the client network devices associated with the list ofelectronic identifiers indicating the purchased electronic option hasbeen exercised to purchase the good or service or attend the event.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram 134 illustrating a social networking post 136with one graphical button 138 with a real-time counter 140 associatedwith a purchased set of electronic options for a good or service orevent.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram 140 illustrating additional details of thegraphical button 138 of FIG. 13.

Method 118 is illustrated with one exemplary embodiment. However, thepresent invention is not limited this exemplary embodiment and otherembodiments can be used to practice the invention.

In such an exemplary embodiment in FIG. 12A at Step 120, pluralelectronic options 27 for goods or services or events are displayed on aplural client applications 25 on plural client network devices 12, 14,16, each with one or more processors from a server application 25′ on aserver network device 20 with one or more processors via acommunications network 18. The plural electronic options 27 are notsupplied or governed via a central government agency and are notsupplied or governed via security laws. The electronic options 27include plural different electronic option terms for a plural differentsuppliers. The electronic option terms for a desired supplier are uniqueto the desired supplier.

For example, the plural electronic options include electronic optionsfor tickets for sporting event and/or entertainment event and/or relatedseats at a table at a restaurant, a group for a tee time at a golfcourse, airline and/or other travel related tickets and/or on atransportation vehicle such as an airplane, bus, boat, train, limousine,tour bus, etc. related group in theme park, amusement park, priorityentry place for a facility and/or related group for priority place in aline, etc.

As another example, the plural electronic options include electronicoptions for a new good, such as a new game platform, a new electronicgame, a new consumer product, etc. a professional service, such as alegal, accounting, medical, veterinary service, etc. other services suchas hair, nail, massage, etc.

In one embodiment, the electronic options include a personalizedelectronic reservation and/or a personalized electronic coupon. However,the present invention is not limited to these types electronic optionsand more fewer or other types of electronic options can be used topractice the invention.

For example, the personalized electronic reservation includes areservation for a table at restaurant, a reservation for a personalservices appointment (e.g., hair, nails, massage, etc.), etc. Thepersonalized electronic coupon includes those offered by social couponsites (e.g., GROUPON, SOCIAL LIVING, etc.).

Suppliers of the good or service or event set aside a certain numbergoods, seats, appointments, etc. to allow the use of social options.Such suppliers receive revenue from purchase of the electronic optionsfor setting aside the goods, seats, appointments, etc. The suppliersalso receive revenue when electronic options are executed for the goods,seats, appointments, etc. If the goods, seats, appointments, etc. setaside for use with electronic options are not purchased via exercisingthe electronic options, they are offered for sale in channels whereelectronic options are not used.

The electronic options 27 are provided by the server network device 20via the communications network 18 via telecommunication services (e.g.,voice, text message, etc.) data services (e.g., e-mail, instant message,etc.) television services, Internet television services, socialnetworking services, general search engine services and/or verticalsearch engine services. However, the present invention is not limitedthe service listed and more, fewer and other services can also be usedto practice the invention.

At 120, the server application 25′ on the server network device 20 alsodisplays plural electronic options for goods or services or events onone or more other server applications 25′ on one or more other servernetwork devices 22, 24 for one or more third-party sites. For example,the server application 25′ on the server network device 20 may provide alist of plural electronic options on a social networking site (e.g.,FACEBOOK, TWITTER, etc.), a ticketing site, a sports team site, anentertainment site, a retail site (e.g., BEST BUY, AMAZON.COM, BUY.COM,BARNESANDNOBLE.COM, etc.), a professional services site (e.g., legal,medical, accounting, etc.), etc. with information of the ability ofelectronic options able to invite friends to purchase a good or serviceor attend an event.

In one embodiment, the server network device 20, is replaced with anelectronic kiosk 29 with application 25′. In such an embodiment at Step120, the plural electronic options for goods or services or events aredisplayed on a display portion 31 of the kiosk instead of the clientapplications 25 on the client network devices 12, 14, 16. However, thepresent invention it not limited to this embodiment and can be practicedwithout use of an electronic kiosk.

At Step 122, a payment message is received on the server application 25′on the server network device 25 via the communications network 18 from afirst client application 25 on a first client network device 12including electronic payment of a pre-determined electronic option feeto purchase a set of electronic options 27 for a good or service orevent. The set of electronic options 27 are used to invite a group offriends to purchase the good or service or attend the event.

Electronic payment includes payment via credit card, debit card,electronic transfer for a bank and/or checking account, third-partypayment services such as PAYPAL and GOOGLE WALLET, etc. However, thepresent invention is not limited to the payment types listed and more,fewer and other payment types can also be used to practice theinvention.

In one embodiment, pre-determined electronic option fee is zero and a“purchaser” of the set of electronic options provides a supplier of theelectronic option with other types of consideration including providinga set of e-mail addresses, phone, numbers, social networkingidentifiers, pictures, mandatory audio or video testimonials orcompleting a mandatory surveys. However, the present invention is notlimited to the zero option fee or payment types listed and more, fewerand other payment types can also be used to practice the invention.

With respect to the set of electronic options, for example, a groupleader may decide to invite a group of friends to attend a music concertand purchase a set of electronic options 27 for a group of adjacentseats at the music concert. The group leader purchases the set ofelectronic options for a small electronic option fee (e.g., $1-$5 peroption, etc.) for a group of adjacent seats. The group leader purchasesthe set of electronic options (e.g., $25 for 5 electronic options)instead of purchasing the corresponding tickets (e.g., $500 for 5 $100tickets for adjacent seats, etc.), and thus allows his/her friend todecide if they want to attend the music concert and sit with the group.

At Step 124, the server application 25′ on the server network device 20receives a list of electronic identifiers for a group of client networkdevices a group of friends associated with the purchase of the set ofelectronic options 27.

The electronic identifiers include hardware addresses of a clientnetwork device (e.g., MAC address, etc.), a network address of a clientnetwork device (e.g., an IP address, etc.) telephone numbers, e-mailaddresses, text message identifiers, instant message identifiers, socialnetworking identifiers, social networking hash tags, etc. However, thepresent invention is not limited to these electronic identifier and moreor fewer or other electronic identifiers can be used to practice theinvention.

At Step 126, the purchased of the set of electronic options 27 and thelist of electronic identifiers is recorded with the server application25′ on the server network device 20 in a database 20′ associated withthe server network device 20.

In FIG. 12B at Step 128, the server application 25′ on the servernetwork device 20 sends plural invitation messages to the list ofelectronic identifiers for the group of friends associated with thepurchase of the set of electronic options 27 making the group of friendsaware of the set of electronic options 27 and inviting the group offriends to exercise an electronic option 27 to purchase the good orservice or attend the event.

In one embodiment the invitation messages include one or more graphicalbuttons 136 for specifically exercising one or more of the pluralelectronic options purchased for the good or service or event. Forexample, continuing the music concert example, the graphical button mayinclude the text “Join my at the Buzzkill concert.”

In one embodiment the one or more graphical buttons 136 includes theOPTION IT 50 and/or BUT IT 52 (FIG. 4) and/or EXERCISE IT 70 (FIG. 5)graphical buttons. The one or more graphical buttons may also include aJOIN ME 136 (FIG. 13), SIT WITH ME, MEET ME, TRAVEL WITH ME, DINE WITHME, EAT WITH ME, etc. graphical button, etc. However, the presentinvention is not limited to such an embodiment, and more fewer of othertypes of graphical buttons can be used to practice the invention.

In one embodiment, the one or more graphical buttons 136 includes acounter 138 that is displayed in real-time indicating how many of thepurchased electronic options have been exercised to purchase the good orservice or to attend the event. The counter changes in real-time aselectronic options are executed. As a result, member of a group canvisually determine how many of the group members are planning topurchase the good or service or attend the event at a current moment intime.

In another embodiment, one or more graphical buttons, directly and/orwith one or more sub-lists/menu 142 (FIG. 14) include a list of peoplewho have been invited to exercise the electronic option and a first listindicator of which people have exercised the electronic option and asecond indicator of which people have not yet exercise the electronicoption. For example, the first list indicator may include a first typefont face (e.g., bold) or first font type, a first color (e.g., green,etc.) 144 and the second list indicator may include a second font face(e.g., italic, etc.), second font type, a second color (e.g., red, etc.)146. However, the present invention is not limited to the font faces,font types of colors listed and more fewer or other font faces, fonttypes, and colors can be used to practice the invention.

In another embodiment, the one or more graphical buttons are displayedin plural different colors. Each different color indicates one of pluraldifferent states for the purchased set of electronic options. Forexample, the plural states include states for an amount of time left toexercise the purchased electronic option (e.g., two weeks left toexercise, one week left to exercise, etc), states for a number of peoplewho have exercised and/or not exercised the purchased electronicoptions, etc. The plural states include plural different display colors.

At Step 130, one or more exercise messages are received on the serverapplication 25′ from the server network device 20 from one or moreclient applications 25 on the client network devices 12, 14, 16associated with the list of electronic identifiers via thecommunications network 18 to exercise the purchased electronic option topurchase the good or service or attend the event.

The one or more exercise messages are used by the server application 25′on the server network device 20 to change a counter, a state and/or acolor of a graphical button for the group of purchased electronicoptions.

In one embodiment, a remaining number of electronic options in thepurchased set of electronic options are automatically executed when apre-determined number of electronic options in the purchased set ofelectronic options are purchased. For example, if a group leader boughta set of ten electronic options and six members of the group exercisedelectronic options, the remaining four options would be automaticallyexercised for the remaining four group members. Such automaticexecutions help ensure a group event will actually take place andreduces uncertainty among group members and situations where indecisionprevents action (e.g., I will go only if Johnny and Sally also go,etc.). Such automatic execution can be included as one or the electronicoption terms used by the supplier of the electronic option or byagreement among the group members. However, the present invention is notlimited to this automatic execution and the invention can be practicewithout automatic execution.

At Step 132, one or more confirmation messages are sent from the serverapplication 25′ on the server network device 20 via the communicationsnetwork 18 to the one or more client applications 25 on the clientnetwork devices 12, 14, 16 associated with the list of electronicidentifiers indicating an individual electronic option from the set ofpurchased electronic option 27 has been exercised to purchase the goodor service or attend the event.

In one embodiment, the client network devices 12, 14, 16 and the servernetwork devices 20, 22, 24 include a wireless networking interfacecomprising a near field communications (NFC) or machine-to-machine (M2M)communications wireless networking interface. Such NFC or M2Mcommunications enhance a social option experience by allowing electronicoption information to be sent and received directly between two or moreclient network devices (e.g., 12, 14) when the client network devicesare in close proximity. For example a user of a first client networkdevice 12, physically “bumps” a second client network device 14, bothusing NFC and/or M2M to transfer electronic option information includingthe graphical option button between devices. However, the presentinvention is not limited to such an embodiment and more, fewer and othertypes of wired and wireless networking interfaces can be used topractice the invention.

Using the methods and system described herein users can buy a set ofelectronic options 27 and post to their social network the availabilityof the electronic options 27 and access to the underlying event, andinvite their friends to join them for the event. When a user isdefinitely going to the event, and hopes that friends can join them, theusers can also buy a combination of one or more actual tickets, and inaddition, one or more options to reserve adjoining seats, then post totheir social network the availability of the options and access to theunderlying event, and invite their friends to join them for the event.The invitation includes graphical buttons and/or other widget to allowthe friends to electronically notify the inviter of their level ofinterest (yes/no/maybe).

The client and server applications 25, 25′ allows the inviter to viewinvitees replies and the total number of each type of answer, allows theinviter to re-send the invitation, automatically send periodic remindersto the non-responding invitees to let them know how many options remain.The inviter can keep track of their friends' responses through theapplication and make a decision on when to exercise and how many optionsto exercise.

Once the options have been exercised, one or more of the people whocommitted to go have a change of plans and will be unable to make it. Inthis case, the application 25, 25′ that sent them the invitation, canallow them to send a notification to the same invitation group and givethe people from the inviter's original group the opportunity to purchasethe good or service or event.

Event promoters using electronic options 27 can sell more tickets, or inthe case of a sold-out venue, generate additional revenue for sellingthe same number of tickets simply by providing the convenience ofenabling friends who decide at different times to all sit together.

It should be understood that the programs, processes, methods and systemdescribed herein are not related or limited to any particular type ofcomputer or network system (hardware or software), unless indicatedotherwise. Various types of general purpose or specialized computersystems may be used with or perform operations in accordance with theteachings described herein.

In view of the wide variety of embodiments to which the principles ofthe present invention can be applied, it should be understood that theillustrated embodiments are exemplary only, and should not be taken aslimiting the scope of the present invention. For example, the steps ofthe flow diagrams may be taken in sequences other than those described,and more or fewer elements may be used in the block diagrams.

While various elements of the preferred embodiments have been describedas being implemented in software, in other embodiments includinghardware or firmware implementations, or combinations thereof, mayalternatively be used, and visa versa.

The claims should not be read as limited to the described order orelements unless stated to that effect. Therefore, all embodiments thatcome within the scope and spirit of the following claims and equivalentsthereto are claimed as the invention.

We claim:
 1. A method for providing electronic options for goods orservices or events or places, comprising: displaying a plurality ofelectronic options for goods or services or events on a plurality ofclient applications on a plurality client network devices each with oneor more processors from a server application on a server network devicewith one or more processors via a communications network, wherein theplurality of electronic options are not supplied or governed via acentral government agency and are not supplied or governed via securitylaws and wherein the plurality of electronic options include a one ormore different electronic option terms for one or more differentsuppliers, wherein the electronic option terms for a desired supplierare unique to a desired supplier; providing the plurality of electronicoptions from the server application on the server network device with adisplay feature to invent a group of friends to purchase a good orservice or entry into a place or attend an event with a selectedelectronic option; receiving a payment message on the server applicationon the server network device via the communications network from a firstclient application on a first client network device including electronicpayment of a pre-determined electronic option fee to purchase a set ofelectronic options for a good or service or event, wherein the set ofelectronic options are used to invite a group of friends to purchase thegood or service or attend the event; receiving on the server applicationon the server network device a list of electronic identifiers for agroup of client network devices for a group of friends associated withthe purchased of the set of electronic options; recording the purchaseof the set of electronic options and the list of electronic identifierswith the server application on the server network device in a databaseassociated with the server network device; sending from the serverapplication on the server network device a plurality of invitationmessages to the list of electronic identifiers for the group of clientnetwork devices for the group of friends associated with the purchasedof the set of electronic options making the group of friends aware ofthe set of electronic options and inviting the group of friends toexercise the electronic option to purchase the good or service or attendthe event; receiving one or more exercise messages on the serverapplication from the server network device from one or more clientapplications on the client network devices associated with the list ofelectronic identifiers via the communications network to exercise one ormore individual electronic options from the purchased set of electronicoptions to purchase the good or service or attend the event; and sendingone or more confirmation messages from the server application on thenetwork device via the communications network to the one or more clientapplications on the client network devices associated with the list ofelectronic identifiers indicating the one or more individual purchasedelectronic options have been exercised to purchase the good or serviceor attend the event.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein there electronicoption includes a personalized electronic coupon or a personalizedelectronic reservation.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein thepre-determined electronic option fee is zero and a purchaser of theelectronic option provides a supplier of the electronic option withother types of consideration including providing an e-mail address,phone, number, social networking identifier, picture, mandatory audio orvideo testimonial or completing a mandatory survey.
 4. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the plurality of invitation messages includes one ormore graphical buttons for selecting, purchasing or exercising one ormore of the plurality of electronic options purchased for the good orservice or event.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the graphical buttonincludes a counter that is displayed in real-time indicating how many ofthe purchased electronic options have been exercised to purchase thegood or service or to attend the event or list of people who have beeninvited to exercise the electronic option and a first indication ofwhich people have exercised the electronic option and a secondindication of which people have not yet exercise the electronic option.6. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more graphical buttons aredisplayed in a plurality of different colors, wherein each colorindicates one of a plurality of different states for the purchased setof electronic options.
 7. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or moregraphical buttons are displayed in an e-mail, text message, instantmessage on a smart application, or in a social networking account. 8.The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more graphical buttons includean OPTION IT, BUT IT, EXERCISE IT, JOIN ME, SIT WITH ME, MEET ME, TRAVELWITH ME or DINE WITH ME graphical buttons.
 9. The method of claim 1wherein a remaining number of electronic options in the purchased set ofelectronic options are automatically executed when a pre-determinednumber of electronic options in the purchased set of electronic optionsare purchased.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the group related seatsinclude a group of related seats at a table at a restaurant, at asporting event, at an entertainment event, a group at theme park, a teetime at a golf course, airline tickets, other travel related tickets, apriority group for entry into a facility or entry into a line for afacility or on or on a transportation vehicle, wherein thetransportation vehicle includes an airplane, bus, boat, train, limousineor tour bus.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein electronic identifiersinclude hardware addresses of client network devices, network addressesof client network devices, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, textmessage identifiers, instant message identifiers or social networkingidentifiers.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of clientapplications on the plurality of client network devices includes aplurality of smart software applications for smart phone or electronictablet client network devices.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein theserver network device includes an electronic kiosk with a graphical userinterface.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of clientnetwork devices and the server network device include a wirelessnetworking interface comprising a Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMax) wireless networking interface with 4thgeneration (4G) wireless speeds and wireless protocols for communicatingwith the communications network.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein theplurality of client network devices and the server network deviceinclude a wireless networking interface comprising a near fieldcommunications (NFC) or machine-to-machine (M2M) communications wirelessnetworking interface.
 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality ofelectronic options are provided by the server network device via thecommunications network via telecommunications services, data services,television services, Internet television services, social networkingservices, general search engine services and vertical search engineservices.
 17. The method of claim 1 wherein the server application onthe server network device also displays plural electronic options forgoods or services or events on one or more other server applications onone or more other server network devices for one or more third-partysites.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the one or more third-partysites include social networking sites, entertainment sites, sport teamsites, ticket purchase sites, retail sites, professional service sitesor other service sites.
 19. The method of claim 1 wherein the pluralityof electronic options include a plurality of a same electronic option ora plurality of different electronic options from a same supplier or oneor more different suppliers.
 20. A non-transitory computer readablemedium having stored therein a plurality of instructions for causing oneor more processors on one or more network devices to execute the stepsof: displaying a plurality of electronic options for goods or servicesor events on a plurality of client applications on a plurality clientnetwork devices each with one or more processors from a serverapplication on a server network device with one or more processors via acommunications network, wherein the plurality of electronic options arenot supplied or governed via a central government agency and are notsupplied or governed via security laws and wherein the plurality ofelectronic options include a one or more different electronic optionterms for one or more different suppliers, wherein the electronic optionterms for a desired supplier are unique to a desired supplier; providingthe plurality of electronic options from the server application on theserver network device with a display feature to invent a group offriends to purchase a good or service or entry into a place or attend anevent with a selected electronic option; receiving a payment message onthe server application on the server network device via thecommunications network from a first client application on a first clientnetwork device including electronic payment of a pre-determinedelectronic option fee to purchase a set of electronic options for a goodor service or event, wherein the set of electronic options are used toinvite a group of friends to purchase the good or service or attend theevent; receiving on the server application on the server network devicea list of electronic identifiers for a group of client network devicesfor a group of friends associated with the purchased of the set ofelectronic options; recording the purchase of the set of electronicoptions and the list of electronic identifiers with the serverapplication on the server network device in a database associated withthe server network device; sending from the server application on theserver network device a plurality of invitation messages to the list ofelectronic identifiers for the group of client network devices for thegroup of friends associated with the purchased of the set of electronicoptions making the group of friends aware of the set of electronicoptions and inviting the group of friends to exercise the electronicoption to purchase the good or service or attend the event; receivingone or more exercise messages on the server application from the servernetwork device from one or more client applications on the clientnetwork devices associated with the list of electronic identifiers viathe communications network to exercise one or more individual electronicoptions from the purchased set of electronic options to purchase thegood or service or attend the event; and sending one or moreconfirmation messages from the server application on the network devicevia the communications network to the one or more client applications onthe client network devices associated with the list of electronicidentifiers indicating the one or more individual purchased electronicoptions have been exercised to purchase the good or service or attendthe event.
 21. A system for providing electronic options for goods orservices or events comprising in combination: a plurality of clientnetwork devices each with one or more processors; one or more servernetwork devices, each with one or more processors; a communicationsnetwork; a non-transitory computer readable medium on a server networkdevice with one or more processors; the non-transitory computer readablemedium including a plurality of instructions causing the one or moreprocessors on the server network device to be configured for: fordisplaying a plurality of electronic options for goods or services orevents on a plurality of client applications on a plurality clientnetwork devices each with one or more processors from a serverapplication on a server network device with one or more processors via acommunications network, wherein the plurality of electronic options arenot supplied or governed via a central government agency and are notsupplied or governed via security laws and wherein the plurality ofelectronic options include a one or more different electronic optionterms for one or more different suppliers, wherein the electronic optionterms for a desired supplier are unique to a desired supplier; providingthe plurality of electronic options from the server application on theserver network device with a display feature to invent a group offriends to purchase a good or service or entry into a place or attend anevent with a selected electronic option; for displaying the plurality ofelectronic options for the goods or services or events on one or moreother server applications on one or more other server network devicesfor one or more third-party sites; for receiving a payment message onthe server application on the server network device via thecommunications network from a first client application on a first clientnetwork device including electronic payment of a pre-determinedelectronic option fee to purchase a set of electronic options for a goodor service or event, wherein the set of electronic options are used toinvite a group of friends to purchase the good or service or attend theevent; for receiving on the server application on the server networkdevice a list of electronic identifiers for a group of client networkdevices for a group of friends associated with the purchased of the setof electronic options; for recording the purchase of the set ofelectronic options and the list of electronic identifiers with theserver application on the server network device in a database associatedwith the server network device; for sending from the server applicationon the server network device a plurality of invitation messages to thelist of electronic identifiers for the group of client network devicesfor the group of friends associated with the purchased of the set ofelectronic options making the group of friends aware of the set ofelectronic options and inviting the group of friends to exercise theelectronic option to purchase the good or service or attend the event,wherein the plurality of invitation messages include a graphical buttonfor specifically exercising one or more of the plurality of electronicoptions purchased for the good or service or event; for receiving one ormore exercise messages on the server application from the server networkdevice from one or more client applications on the client networkdevices associated with the list of electronic identifiers via thecommunications network to exercise one or more individual electronicoptions from the purchased set of electronic options to purchase thegood or service or attend the event; and for sending one or moreconfirmation messages from the server application on the network devicevia the communications network to the one or more client applications onthe client network devices associated with the list of electronicidentifiers indicating the one or more individual purchased electronicoptions have been exercised to purchase the good or service or attendthe event.